The procedural steps that take a civil claim from the close of directions to the courtroom door, and the consequences when a party falls short.
A case that is well prepared rarely unravels at trial; one that is not can be lost on procedure alone. This chapter works through the pre-trial steps the parties must complete, including the pre-trial checklist and the matters a court deals with at a pre-trial review, before turning to the trial bundle and the role skeleton arguments play in framing each side's case. It then deals with witnesses — the effect of serving a statement late, how a reluctant witness can be compelled to attend, and the sanction for ignoring a summons — alongside notices to admit facts and the deemed admission of a document's authenticity. Finally, it covers the three-stage test for relief from sanctions, agreed extensions of deadlines, the factors weighed on an application to adjourn, and what happens when a claimant or defendant fails to attend trial, including the conditions for setting aside a judgment entered in their absence.
