We are continuing our series on Civil Procedure Rules, highlighting some of the little known but common rules and hopefully explaining them in plain English.
The next rule we will be looking at is rule 4 (2) – Forms.
The rule says:
(2) A form may be varied by the court or a party if the variation is required by the circumstances of a particular case.
What does this mean?
We have seen many instances where parties, including solicitors have taken a Court Form, no amendments to the form have been made and they have tried to fill in the form, putting information into boxes where it simply does not fit.
The most common occurrence of this is a Claim Form for possession proceedings in which lawyers have used a PDF version and when they arrive at the section that asks what they are asking for, there is not enough space, so they have placed the information into a different box!
This rule actually allows parties to vary forms to match the circumstances of the case.
You can find the full Civil Procedure Rules online (currently) at https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules
Any questions or support with the above please email us at: philip@whitecollarlegalandadmin.com or phone 0151 230 8931.