1999 saw the greatest revolution in civil practice and procedure for over 100 years with the introduction of the civil Procedure Rules and Practice Directions. Introduced as a result of Lord Woolf's report on the reform of the civil courts' Access to Justice, the new rules have revolutionized the way that civil disputes are now resolved. The emphasis is now on settlement and co-operation between the parties under the umbrella of the Overriding Objective. Also introduced was the principle of the proportionality, a new concept to civil practice. Reforms have also been carried out on contentious areas such as Experts, Disclosure and Costs. Case management has now been taken out of the hands of the lawyers and put firmly in the hands of the courts.

As with any radical change in legal practice, teething problems have had to be dealt with and since the new rules were introduced there have been many amendments both to the rules and the Practice directions, as well as a whole new body of case law. It is imperative to all those in practice affected by such immense changes that they are put into an accessible format - and this new edition does exactly that.

An invaluable and practical guide to the new procedures, it does not merely document the newest developments but also puts them in context of their practical application. Concise and extremely affordable this book will enable the busy practitioner to grasp the fundamental points with ease.