Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BOOK REVIEW
SMALL CLAIMS PROCEDURE IN THE COUNTY COURT
A Practical Guide
Includes a full guide to the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol
7th edition
By Patricia Pearl and Tim Parker
ISBN 978 0 85490 300 9
WILDY, SIMMONDS, AND HILL PUBLISHING
wildy.com
A “MUST” FOR ANY PERSON WHO HAS TO FACE A SMALL CLAIMS CASE IN THE COUNTY COURT AS AN UNREPRESENTED PARTY
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”, and Mediator
For readers new to civil litigation, claims assigned to the small claims track of the county court are up to £10,000 in value at the present time (2022). This practical guide from Wildy, Simmonds, and Hill Publishing, is entitled “Small Claims Procedure in the County Court”. It is an excellent and concise work written by highly experienced judges, Patricia Pearl, and Tim Parker.
The authors offer unrepresented parties clear and detailed guidance about all the relevant procedures and rules, some of which are unique to this track, and may be very confusing on initial reading. The book also includes a full guide to the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol which we feel will be of great use to practitioners and litigants in person who need to be as up to date as possible.
Pearl and Parker have helpfully included the rules which limit costs recovery, procedures on appeals and the small claims mediation service provided through the Court. We consider that this guide meets all the needs of the professional user, including case citations and statutory references. Fortunately, the book is written and presented with the non-lawyer in mind throughout. The Wildy mission with these guides is to provide a wealth of practical advice, plus simple summaries, flow charts, check lists and tables to enable litigants in person to understand the court process. The authors have included a glossary which explains over one hundred legal words, terms, and phrases. Therefore, it is a fundamental purchase for either a claimant or defendant in the small claim court.
This book was first published over 20 years ago and has acquired a high pedigree for its clarity and usefulness. It has proved to be a most successful title during the many procedural changes since 2000 and is now fully updated in its 7th edition. We welcome the fully updated and very readable new edition for 2022 which includes an entire chapter devoted to “the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol” which may be disconcerting to some claimants with its associated rule changes. Please be aware that the changes affect personal injury cases worth up to £5,000 in value will not be allocated to the small claims track in most cases.
Without doubt this book will remain a popular and inexpensive title for the worried litigant. It does prove invaluable advice for busy practitioners and litigants in person alike, equipping them with the latest knowledge and enabling them to make the most of the procedures that are available.
The date of publication of this new paperback seventh edition is cited as 15th September 2021. The book is up to date as at: 31st May 2021.
BOOK REVIEW
SMALL CLAIMS PROCEDURE IN THE COUNTY COURT
A Practical Guide
Includes a full guide to the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol
7th edition
By Patricia Pearl and Tim Parker
ISBN 978 0 85490 300 9
WILDY, SIMMONDS, AND HILL PUBLISHING
wildy.com
A “MUST” FOR ANY PERSON WHO HAS TO FACE A SMALL CLAIMS CASE IN THE COUNTY COURT AS AN UNREPRESENTED PARTY
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”, and Mediator
For readers new to civil litigation, claims assigned to the small claims track of the county court are up to £10,000 in value at the present time (2022). This practical guide from Wildy, Simmonds, and Hill Publishing, is entitled “Small Claims Procedure in the County Court”. It is an excellent and concise work written by highly experienced judges, Patricia Pearl, and Tim Parker.
The authors offer unrepresented parties clear and detailed guidance about all the relevant procedures and rules, some of which are unique to this track, and may be very confusing on initial reading. The book also includes a full guide to the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol which we feel will be of great use to practitioners and litigants in person who need to be as up to date as possible.
Pearl and Parker have helpfully included the rules which limit costs recovery, procedures on appeals and the small claims mediation service provided through the Court. We consider that this guide meets all the needs of the professional user, including case citations and statutory references. Fortunately, the book is written and presented with the non-lawyer in mind throughout. The Wildy mission with these guides is to provide a wealth of practical advice, plus simple summaries, flow charts, check lists and tables to enable litigants in person to understand the court process. The authors have included a glossary which explains over one hundred legal words, terms, and phrases. Therefore, it is a fundamental purchase for either a claimant or defendant in the small claim court.
This book was first published over 20 years ago and has acquired a high pedigree for its clarity and usefulness. It has proved to be a most successful title during the many procedural changes since 2000 and is now fully updated in its 7th edition. We welcome the fully updated and very readable new edition for 2022 which includes an entire chapter devoted to “the Road Traffic Act Small Claims Protocol” which may be disconcerting to some claimants with its associated rule changes. Please be aware that the changes affect personal injury cases worth up to £5,000 in value will not be allocated to the small claims track in most cases.
Without doubt this book will remain a popular and inexpensive title for the worried litigant. It does prove invaluable advice for busy practitioners and litigants in person alike, equipping them with the latest knowledge and enabling them to make the most of the procedures that are available.
The date of publication of this new paperback seventh edition is cited as 15th September 2021. The book is up to date as at: 31st May 2021.
