A Practical Approach to Effective Litigation

This book analyses the key skills that a lawyer needs to handle a case effectively. In addition to covering skills in dealing with a client, writing legal documents, and presenting a case in court, the text demonstrates how to use law effectively, how to develop a case, and how to present persuasive arguments. The approach is practical and sets out the skills that will help to found a successful legal career. Following the Woolf reforms and other changes in procedure and evidence rules, lawyers operate in an increasingly complex environment, faced with funding litigation challenges and the useage of sophisticated communications & information technology systems. The book carefully addresses legal skills within this rapidly changing context. In putting skills and law together, A Practical Approach to Effective Litigation shows how a sound knowledge of the legal principles of tort and contract can be used to get results for a real client in a real case. It will be of use to anyone starting work in legal practice, or training to be a barrister or solicitor.

1 - What is Effective Litigation?
2 - The Roles of Legal Practitioners
3 - The Professional Context - Ethos and Ethics
4 - An Overview of the Litigation Process
5 - Financing Litigation
6 - Managing Risk and Cost Benefit
7 - Techniques for Meetings With Clients
8 - Advising a Client and Taking Instructions
9 - Establishing, Managing, and Analysing Facts
10 - Managing and Using Legal Knowledge
11 - Defining Issues to State a Case
12 - Skills in Legal Writing
13 - Drafting a Statement of Case
14 - Deciding Who Should Sue Whom
15 - Pursuing Appropriate Remedies and Relief
16 - The Vital Role of Evidence
17 - Procedural Rules as Practical Tools
18 - Defending an Action
19 - The Contract Model
20 - The Tort Model
21 - Settling a Case
22 - Preparing a Case for Trial
23 - Presenting a Case in Court
24 - Challenging a Judgment
25 - Enforcing a Judgment
26 - Your Practice

Susan Blake, Director of Studies and Associate Dean - Inns of Court School of Law (now part of The City Law School). Susan Blake spent several years in practice at the Bar dealing with a variety of types of case in all levels of courts. She was formerly Course Director of the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law, having played a major part in devising and implementing the BVC. She became Director of Studies in 1998, and is now also Programme Director for the LLM in Legal Professional Skills that was introduced in 2006. Since the last edition she has become Programme Director of the LLM in Professional Legal Skills, a route by which Bar Vocational Course students can convert their qualification to a full Master's degree. As the students complete dissertations on practice related topics this fits well with her authorship of this book.