Module 1 · Chapter 2

Pre-Action Conduct and the Letter of Claim

Before a business sues, the court expects it to write first. This chapter shows what the letter of claim says, what it asks for, and why both sides must start keeping their documents.

≈ 9 min read 8-question test

In this chapter

  • Why the court expects a letter before a claim, and what happens to a party that skips it
  • What the letter of claim says, and what it asks Corledge to do
  • Why both sides must keep their documents from now on

2.1Pre-action conduct in one paragraph

Before Ravensett sues, it must tell Corledge what the claim is and give it a fair chance to answer. These first steps are called pre-action conduct. The main one is the letter of claim, which sets out the facts, the breach, the money claimed and the key documents. Corledge replies, documents are shared and both sides consider settling, all before any claim starts.

Key point

A claim should reach the court only after the other side has seen it and had time to answer. A party that skips these steps can pay for it in costs.

Also in this chapter

  1. Why the court expects a letter first
  2. What the letter says, and how Corledge answered
  3. Asking for documents and offering mediation
  4. Keeping documents from the start
  5. Your job

Preview

The rest of this chapter opens with a free account. Every edition is free to read until 31 January. Open a free account by the end of that day and keep every edition published by then, for good. Open it from the edition home →