How a civil claim moves through the courts under the Civil Procedure Rules — from pre-action conduct to judgment, remedies and the costs order that ends it.
Every step a claim takes, and every sanction for a misstep, is governed by a single rulebook applied through one guiding principle. This chapter begins with what civil litigation is, how it differs from mediation and arbitration, which courts hear first-instance claims, and the overriding objective that shapes every case-management decision. It then follows a claim through its life: pre-action protocols and commencement under Part 7 or Part 8, the defendant's response and deadlines, allocation to one of the four tracks, and the routes to early disposal — summary judgment, strike out, default judgment and relief from sanctions. The closing sections deal with the burden and standard of proof and without prejudice privilege, the remedies a successful party can obtain, and the costs rules that decide who pays.
