The multi-track deals with a vast range of cases, from simple contractual disputes involving little more than £25,000, to complex commercial cases involving difficult issues of fact and law with values of several million pounds, to cases where perhaps no money is at stake but which raise points of real public importance. Cases on the multi-track will generally be dealt with either in the Royal Courts of Justice or other civil trial centre. This chapter discusses agreed directions; case management conferences; fixing the date for trial; pre-trial checklists; listing hearings; pre-trial review; directions given at other hearings; and variation of case management timetable.
Chapter
29. Multi-Track
Chapter
29. Multi-Track
The multi-track deals with a vast range of cases, from simple contractual disputes involving little more than £100,000, to complex commercial cases involving difficult issues of fact and law with values of several million pounds, to cases where perhaps no money is at stake but which raise points of real public importance. Cases on the multi-track will generally be dealt with either in the Royal Courts of Justice or other civil trial centre. This chapter discusses agreed directions; case management conferences; fixing the date for trial; pre-trial checklists; listing hearings; pre-trial review; directions given at other hearings; and variation of case management timetable.
Chapter
3. The judicial function in the law of evidence
This chapter discusses the different functions in a court and how the court is composed of a tribunal of law and a tribunal of fact. In a jury trial, the judge decides matters of law and is the tribunal of law, while the jury is the ‘fact-finder’, the tribunal of fact. In a non-jury trial, the judge or magistrates perform both functions. This chapter discusses the functions of the judge in legal issues concerning evidence and, in particular, when a case is withdrawn from the jury because there is ‘no case’; judicial discretion; and admissibility of evidence illegally or unfairly obtained.
Chapter
8. Remands before trial
The impact on the liberty of a defendant is an important issue and this chapter analyses remand decisions, scrutinizing the justifications for taking away liberty before trial. It also considers the law relating to remands as well as the treatment of unconvicted defendants, the treatment of victims and potential victims, procedural justice and remand decisions, and, finally, equal treatment in remand decisions. The principal focus in this chapter is on the court’s decision whether to remand on bail or in custody between first appearance and trial. Also discussed are the issues of principle raised by the law and practice.
Chapter
5. Courts and the trial process
Steven Cammiss
This chapter first considers the functions of the courts and questions whether there are other, more symbolic functions at play than finding the truth. It then outlines the court system, looking to both magistrates' courts and the Crown Court, and explores the composition of both courts, the types of cases that they deal with, and their role. To examine a particular decision made within the criminal courts, the chapter looks at the mode of trial decision. It concludes by asking whether the reality of the courts lives up to the rhetoric of trial by jury as the pinnacle of due process protections.
Chapter
23. Preparing a Case for Trial and Drafting Skeleton Arguments
This chapter first discusses the importance of the trial date. A period within which the trial should take place (a three-week window) is usually set on allocation even if the precise date is not fixed, so that a focus for litigation is set quite soon after issue. Although the court may show flexibility in reviewing preparations for trial, a trial date will rarely be moved and only for very good reason. The second section outlines the pre-trial review process, covering pre-trial checklists, statements of case, attendance of witnesses, expert evidence, trial date and directions, and preparing trial bundles. The third section deals with preparations for the trial, including the development of trial strategy and preparing to deal with witnesses. The final section discusses skeleton arguments.
Book
Alisdair Gillespie and Siobhan Weare
The English Legal System presents the main areas of the legal system and encourages a critique of the wider aspects of how law is made and reformed. The book is structured in five parts. Part I looks at the sources of law including domestic and international sources. Part II looks at the courts and the practitioners. It considers the structure of the courts and tribunals, judges and judicial independence, the legal professions, and legal aid. Part III examines the criminal justice system. It describes issues related to lay justice, trials, and criminal appeals. The next part is about the civil justice system. It looks at civil litigation, remedies, appeals and alternative dispute resolution, as well as the funding of civil litigation. The final part looks to the future.
Book
Alisdair Gillespie and Siobhan Weare
The English Legal System presents the main areas of the legal system and encourages a critique of the wider aspects of how law is made and reformed. The book is structured in five parts. Part I looks at the sources of law including domestic and international sources. Part II looks at the courts and the practitioners. It considers the structure of the courts and tribunals, judges and judicial independence, the legal professions, and legal aid. Part III examines the criminal justice system. It describes issues related to lay justice, trials, and criminal appeals. The next part is about the civil justice system. It looks at civil litigation, remedies, appeals and alternative dispute resolution, as well as the funding of civil litigation. The final part looks to the future.
