If a claim is being made between the value of £10,001 to £25,000 then it will be directed to the fast track courts. Claims for sums over £25,000 will be directed to the multi-track courts. Dispute resolution legal advice from an experienced solicitor is essential before starting a claim, especially if it involves a large sum of money, because the ramifications of being unsuccessful can be costly.

Fast track and multi-track claims

Both of these follow a similar procedure. There is no specific process in these situations, save that both will be heard in an open court, by a judge and that judge will manage each case on its individual merits. A number of case management conferences are usually held; these are informal meetings designed to assess progress and make any orders deemed necessary for moving forward. All parties are usually involved in case management meetings. Prior to these meetings taking place, the judge will generally give specific inspection and disclosure directions. Witnesses may be called and a final decision can be made immediately or at a later time. If the latter occurs then the decision will be sent to all parties in the form of a court order, which will contain details and directions as needed.

Competent handling of a fast or multi-track claim is imperative. Legal advice should be sought immediately if you are the claimant or defendant to a claim. All of the Simply.Law member lawyers listed on this page will be able to offer experienced, solid legal dispute resolution advice, specific to your case. To contact a dispute resolution lawyer, choose from the lawyers on this page or forward the details of your case to Simply.Law directly and we will use the Match function to identify the right solicitor for you.

Disclosure

This concerns documents pertinent to the claim that you may hold, or have held, and that you are required to disclose. This can be through:

• no disclosure required
• standard disclosure
• specific disclosure

All of these options are open to the court. Standard disclosure relates to those documents which oppose, support or undermine your case. Under specific disclosure, the judge can request that certain documents, or classes of documents, are disclosed.

Inspection

You may view the disclosure list belonging to the other party and subsequently request any documents that you would like a copy of.

The only exemptions from disclosure and inspection are ‘privileged’ documents. These are usually private correspondence between you and your solicitor or documents which contain any mention of the planning of litigation.

Clarification and further information are available should you feel that it’s necessary. The procedure for obtaining this is to write and request it from the defendant, specifying a timeframe. If there’s no response, then you can approach the court and ask that an order is made for the information to be submitted. Any letter requiring information should be specific to that query and not involve other issues.

Costs

Fees are payable unless you qualify for exemptions or you can prove exceptional hardship as a result of your case. There are costs incurred at each stage of the process and factoring these in to your litigation planning is essential. Some costs under a fast track case can be claimed from the defendant if you are successful, but a costs order can also be made against you if you lose.

Costs associated with multi-track claims can be substantial and this is something to be considered carefully before you start your claim. Unlike fast track claims, there is no fixed limit to costs with a multi-track case. Thorough discussion with your chosen Simply.Law member lawyer will help to clarify aims and expectations.

For further advice and information from fast track and multi-track dispute resolution solicitors contact Simply.Law today.

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