The 49th set of amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules – together with amendments to the relevant Practice Directions – came into force on 6 April 2009. Of specific note are:
Fast Track Limit
For claims issued on and after 6 April 2009 the financial limit for allocation to the Fast Track has increased to £25k. Now only claims exceeding £25k can be issued in the High Court.
Pre-Action Conduct
A new Practice Direction has been created covering the pre-action conduct of parties. This is essential reading for anyone involved with pre-action proceedings and describes the conduct the Court will expect from the potential parties.
Costs Capping Order
The insertion of Rules 44.18 – 44.20 now provide for Applications for costs-capping orders (NB: a costs capping order is an order limiting the amount of future costs (including disbursements) which a party may recover pursuant to an order for costs subsequently made.) A full copy of the Rules can be accessed at http://www.justice.gov.uk
