Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BPTC Centralised Papers Syllabus 2014/15
BPTC Centralised Papers Syllabus 2014/15
1 Organisational matters
the allocation of business between the High and County Courts (in
outline);
2 Pre-action Protocols
the principles relating to pre-action conduct under the Personal Injury preaction
protocol;
3 Limitation
4 Commencing Proceedings
when the Part 7 procedure is appropriate and how Part 7 claims are
commenced;
when the Part 8 procedure is appropriate and how Part 8 claims are
commenced;
6 Statements of Case
statements of truth;
[Not the drafting of statements of case, for which see section 2.2.6]
7 Remedies (general)
8 Contract
9 Tort
10 Amendment
11 Further Information
12 Interim applications
summary judgments, including the procedure, who may apply, the test to
be applied, conditional orders, the principles applied on applications for
summary judgment, how the test applies where there are counterclaims and
set-offs and the cheque rule.
14 Case Management
the allocation of business between the small claims track, the fast track
and the multi- track;
typical directions in small claims track, fast track and multi-track claims;
and.
the impact of costs and the role of costs budgets in case management.
pre-action disclosure under SCA 1981 s.33 (2) and CPR 31.16 and
disclosure against
non-parties under Senior Courts Act 1981 s.34 (2) and CPR 31.17.
the procedure for applying for sanctions, to strike out and for relief from
sanctions, and the principles applied by the court; and
grounds for applying for interim payments, to include cases with more than
one
defendant and effect of set-offs and counterclaims;
applying for security for costs on the grounds of residence outside the
jurisdiction and
against impecunious companies; and
the approach to the discretion to order security for costs in these cases;
and
18 Interim injunctions
21 Trial
skeleton arguments;
the procedure on the trial of civil cases in all tracks, including trial
timetables, the order
of speeches, calling and examining witnesses; and
the different bases on which costs are assessed (standard and indemnity);
the effects of state funding and the statutory charge on civil litigation and
counsel's duty to the Legal Aid Agency; and
the power of the courts to make a costs order in favour of the Access to
Justice Foundation in a pro bono case (section 194 of the Legal Services Act
2007; CPR 46.7(4)).
24 Enforcement of Judgments
the different methods of enforcing money and other judgments (in outline);
and
25
26
Judicial Review
the requirements and principles for obtaining permission to claim judicial review; and
the availability of remedies of quashing order, mandatory order, prohibiting order,
injunction and declaration in judicial review claims.
Appeals
the principles and procedures governing civil appeals in England and Wales
(excluding appeals to the Supreme Court), comprising permission to appeal, routes
of appeal,
Part A Curriculum
time for appealing, appellants notice and grounds on which an appeal may succeed,
fresh evidence in appeals, respondents notice, and skeleton arguments.
27 Civil Evidence
All the following rules are to be considered in the context of civil claims on the fast
track and multi-track.
the law and practice relating to the admission of hearsay evidence in civil
trials;
the principles relating to legal professional privilege, privilege against selfincrimination, without prejudice communications and public interest immunity
in civil cases, and exceptions to these rules;
waiver of privilege;
the structure of the codes of conduct issued under the Police and Criminal
Evidence Act 1984 [PACE] and their importance to criminal investigations
(key principles only),
the provisions of Code C.10 (cautions and special warnings) and Code
C.11 (interviews),
the general right to bail under the Bail Act 1976 and the occasions when it
does not apply,
the grounds upon which the prosecution can appeal to the Crown court
against a decision
to grant bail,
4. Plea in the Magistrates Court, mode of trial , committal, sending and transfers
the rules relating to the provision of initial details of the prosecution case,
plea before venue and allocation, including the special rules for criminal
damage cases,
the sending of complex fraud cases and cases involving child victims and
witnesses (key
principles only),
the sending of linked summary only cases and the procedure for dealing
with them in the
Crown Court.
third party disclosure and court protocols on applying for third party
disclosure; obtaining
a witness summons for a third party.
6. Indictments
the plea and case management hearing in the Crown Court and its
importance to case management,
arraignment,
order of speeches,
verdicts,
the role of the Magistrates Legal Advisor in the trial (key principles only).
the law and practice relating to juries, including the circumstances when
individual jurors
or the whole jury can be discharged,
dealing with points of law during the trial, including the procedure for
determining the
admissibility of evidence,
speeches,
retrials,
facts in issue,
relevance,
weight,
the distinction between the legal burden and the evidential burden of
proof,
the general rule concerning the incidence of the burden of proof in criminal
cases and the
exceptions to it,
the standard of proof required in criminal cases when the legal burden
rests on the
prosecution,
the standard of proof required when the legal burden rests on the defence,
Part A Curriculum
the principles and procedure for the issue of a witness summons and warrant of
arrest (key principles only).
13. The rules relating to the examination of Witnesses
how to apply to exclude hearsay evidence and what safeguards are set
out in the Criminal
Justice Act 2003,
the definition of bad character under the Criminal Justice Act 2003,
Part A Curriculum
the circumstances in which the judge might warn the jury about suspect
evidence as set
out in the case of R v. Makanjuola [1995] 2 Cr App R 469.
19. Opinion evidence and experts
the categorisation of youths into child and young person and its legal
consequences,
the diversion of youths from the criminal justice system by the use of youth
cautions and
conditional cautions. (key principles only)
the procedure in the Youth Court and how it differs from the adult court,
the sentencing powers of the magistrates court and the Crown Court
(including, their
power to sentence youths)
determining the facts of the offence, including Newton hearings, the use of
a basis of plea
and pre-sentence reports,
indications as to sentence,
suspended sentences and their activation where there has been a breach,
compensation,
confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (brief key principles
only). 26. The dangerous offender provisions
the slip rule for both Crown and Magistrates Court, and procedure,
the general right of appeal from the Magistrates court to the Crown Court,
the procedure in the Crown Court for dealing with the appeal, including the
constitution of
the court,
the powers of the Crown Court on appeal, including the power to increase
sentence,
the more common grounds that can give rise to appeal against conviction
and sentence,
the procedural requirements for applying for leave under the Criminal
Procedure Rules,
including the practical steps that counsel should take when advising and
preparing grounds of appeal,
the rules concerning the CA hearing fresh evidence during the appeal,
the principles and procedure the CA will adopt when determining appeals
against
conviction and sentence,