Overview
This webinar is designed primarily for personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners, although the principles discussed will also be relevant to practitioners working in other areas of litigation. The session will explore the purpose, structure, and practical drafting of statements of case within civil proceedings. It will highlight common mistakes made when preparing claim forms, particulars of claim, defences, and replies, and explain how these errors can affect the progress of a case.
The webinar will also examine procedural issues such as Part 18 requests, amendments to statements of case, and the role of pleadings at trial.
Overall, the session aims to provide practical guidance to help practitioners draft clear, compliant, and effective pleadings while avoiding common pitfalls that can lead to challenges or strike-outs.
Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand why and where problems commonly arise in statements of case.
- Identify the key information that must be included in a claim form.
- Recognise the required elements of properly drafted particulars of claim.
- Identify common problem areas when drafting particulars of claim.
- Understand the circumstances in which pleadings may be struck out by the court.
- Determine what matters a claimant must properly plead in a claim.
- Understand the essential components that should be included in a defence.
- Identify when it is necessary to file a reply or a defence to a counterclaim.
- Understand the purpose and limits of Part 18 requests.
- Recognise the procedures for amending statements of case.
- Understand how statements of case are used and scrutinised at trial.
- Apply practical strategies to avoid common pleading pitfalls.
Barrister
Kings Chambers, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham and 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, London
Gordon was called to the Bar in 1991 having originally qualified and practised as a solicitor. He practices from Kings Chambers, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham and 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, London. He works in the area of personal injury litigation and in the law relating to civil procedure, limitation and costs. He has a particular interest in issues relating to damages, evidence, costs and procedure.
Gordon is a former executive committee member of APIL and has lectured widely for APIL and CPIL on personal injury and procedure topics. Gordon is the author of Personal Injury Practice Notes (Cavendish); The APIL Guide to Fatal Accidents (now in its 4th edition); the 14th edition of Munkman and Exall on Damages for Personal Injury Death and Periodical Payments the New Law. He also wrote the section on limitation for the APIL loose-leaf and contributes two chapters to Munkman on Employer’s Liability... view full biography