On Your Feet: A Practical Guide to Civil Advocacy

On Your Feet: A Practical Guide to Civil Advocacy is a brand new book that fills a small but important gap in the market for junior and pupil barristers. There is a dearth of practical information for pupils or junior tenants practising in civil law when receiving their first briefs or attending a hearing for the first time. Until now, the approach has generally been to learn ‘on-the-job’, which leaves many pupils and junior tenants feeling unsure and underprepared before a hearing.
This book guides the reader through the process of attending court and running their own case, across many different types of hearing, from start to finish. This includes holding conferences with clients, communicating with solicitors, making submissions, and drafting final orders. It aims to provide practical information, quickly and clearly, about how to approach each type of hearing and the issues that may arise. It highlights the key texts, rules, and case law applicable to each type of hearing and provides a firm framework upon which a barrister may build their case. It will also be useful to solicitor advocates, solicitors’ agents, and litigants in person (laypeople) who may be unfamiliar with the different types of hearing or how a case proceeds.
The authors, all practising junior barristers, have experience of regular court work and are writing from a current, junior perspective, answering the common questions asked by pupils and junior tenants. The content of the book is divided between General Civil and Personal Injury; Landlord and Tenant; Commercial Chancery; and Employment. The Introductory section covers general practical considerations, whilst the appendix includes examples of orders and attendance notes which have been approved and used in real cases. Although the book is not replacement for the White Book, it offers cross-references to it, so acts as a ‘way in’ for those not overly familiar with it.