Statements of case are the formal documents the parties exchange to set out exactly what is in dispute. As a solicitor, getting these right is the foundation of every claim you run: they tell your opponent what they must answer, tell the court what it must decide, and lock each side into a position. Miss a required fact, a signature, or a deadline, and your client can lose the point — or the whole claim — before anyone reaches trial.
This lesson takes you through each document in the order you meet it in practice.
- Statements of Case and Commencing Proceedings — what these documents are, which ones count, how they're verified, and when proceedings formally begin.
- The Claim Form and Service — the core information a claim form must contain, how to state the value of a claim, and the deadlines and rules for serving the claim form, including extensions of time.
- The Particulars of Claim — how to set out the facts, the legal basis, the loss, and the matters that must be specifically pleaded.
- The Defendant's Response and the Defence — the defendant's options, the deadlines, and the consequences of failing to respond properly.
- Reply, Counterclaims and Amendments — when to reply, how to bring a counterclaim, and when statements of case can be amended.