Principles of Civil Litigation

by David Bamford

The last 25 years have witnessed major changes in civil procedure in Australia. Some changes, such as case management, have been revolutionary, resulting in a fundamental shift in the way in which the civil justice system works. Other changes have focused on improving the efficacy of the various procedural tools available to parties in the litigation process.

Principles of Civil Litigation analyses civil procedure within the broader context of these changes, along with possible directions for future reforms. It does not merely explain the rules of court; it employs original research to provide a systematic overview of the core procedural steps in the civil justice system, explains how these processes function in practice and their impact upon justice. It considers litigation within a dispute-resolving context and recognises that the majority of cases do not progress to judgment.

Principles of Civil Litigation aims to promote debate about the direction of procedural reform and the wider implications of civil procedure, along with an understanding of how civil litigation works today.

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Xavier Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good general introduction to Australian Civil litigation. Its only weakness is its breadth - it covers each major Australian jurisdiction.
A similar book, but specific to say, the Supreme Court of Victoria, or perhaps Victoria at large, would be more useful for certain students.

Some of the information in it is out of date as of 2013, as I learned when I quoted a figure from it to a Country Court Judge who pointed out that that figure was no longer correct.

This will of course be the case with all Law textbooks as they age, and is not a fault of the book.

If this text is prescribed for a Law unit you are taking, as it was in my case, I recommend that you read it at your computer, with your Jurisdictions Court Rules and Civil Procedure act opened, so you can check specific provisions as you read them.

[Dr_Hales · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Dante Alighieri was composing his fourteenth century masterpiece "The Divine Comedy" and describing the circles of Hell, he somehow forgot to add reading Principles of Civil Litigation by David Bamford.

This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst thing I've ever read. I get that it's hard to make such a dry subject interesting.... but good God at least try!

There's a special place in Hell for the authors of this absolutely vile book and any law professor who assigns it to students. And that place in Hell is surely just being forced to read this piece of garbage for eternity.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho hum, another text book.