Phillip Taylor MBE book review. The White Book 2016 - Civil Procedure

BOOK REVIEW

“THE WHITE BOOK” - CIVIL PROCEDURE 2016
Editor in Chief: Rupert Jackson

ISBN: 978 0 414 05564 3 (Vol. 2 Hardback)

OUT NOW IN THE NEW 2016 EDITION: THIS INDISPENSIBLE REFERENCE GUIDE TO THE CIVIL PROCEDURE RULES

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA, and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Richmond Green Chambers, reviews editor of "The Barrister" and mediator

It is well-nigh impossible to overstate or exaggerate the usefulness, comprehensiveness, authority, and reliability of that famous two-volume work of reference known as “The White Book”. As most or all barristers will tell you, there is scarcely a court anywhere in England and Wales where you won’t find “The White Book” revealing its conspicuous presence on the judge’s desk.

There are of course several reasons why “The White Book” has achieved -- and continues to maintain -- its pre-eminence and why it is considered the most authoritative reference for barristers, solicitors and judges. First, a key feature of any work of reference, especially a hefty one, is its ease of use and it is here that “The White Book” excels. The accompanying ‘Book Use Guide’ gives you clear, explicit instructions as to the ins and outs of how to find what’s where in “The White Book”. And once you know your way around it, you will find it – yes – easy to use.

Compiled, written and produced by experts, “The White Book” contains -- with accompanying commentary -- the primary sources of law including Acts of Parliament and statutory instruments relating to the practice and procedures of the High Court and the county courts, pertaining to civil business arising in those courts and subject to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR). Other sources include, for example, practice directions, pre-action protocols and court guides.

But note that “The White Book” is a lot more than just a book. Purchasing it gives you access to a range of valuable additional services, many of them provided at no additional charge. For example, both volumes (containing more than 6,000 pages) are available as an eBook on Thomson Reuters ProView.

Also, available on request is a Forms Volume -- a ring binder containing a full set of civil procedure forms, with updates also available for the asking. You can also request a Forms CD containing all three-hundred court forms in RTF/Word and/or PDF format. A replacement CD is issued twice yearly to keep you up to date.

Once you subscribe to the CD and print service, there is a single CD-ROM available which contains all the materials in “The White Book”, plus additional materials for research, together with a link to the most recent version of the Rules and Practice Directions. Additional content online and on CD is cross-referenced in the print volumes throughout, indicated generally by mouse icons and cross symbols.

‘Is that all?’ you might ask. Well, no -- there’s more. Also, included as part of your subscription, is rather a unique glossy paperback entitled ‘Costs & Funding Following the Civil Justice Reforms: Questions and Answers.’ As costs are always of paramount consideration, this is the book that, in the words of the publishers, ‘no practitioner involved with costs can afford to be without.’

Within its three-hundred or so pages and nine chapters, it answers hundreds of questions that practitioners have commonly asked in the wake of the 2013 Jackson reforms on costs and funding. These are listed in detail in the book’s table of contents. The subsequent answers -- which range from the simple to the necessarily complex -- cover a range of topics, from funding of litigation and case and costs management, to settlement offers, summary assessments and much more, all reflecting the latest developments in costs and funding which have evolved post-Jackson.

“The White Book” itself builds on a long and interesting evolution. Its publishing pedigree can be traced back to the 1870s, during which the first edition of ‘Annual Practice’ was published following the restructuring of the English civil courts. It was eventually renamed ‘Supreme Court Practice’, the last edition of which came out in 1998. Finally -- and coinciding with the coming into effect of the Civil Procedure Rules in 1999 -- it underwent a further name change to the now familiar ‘Civil Procedure’.

Ever venerable, yet ever young -- and resolutely current via frequent updates, “The White Book” maintains its reputation as the ultimate authority on the civil procedure rules – and predictably will remain indispensable to judges and practitioners alike. If you practice in the civil courts, this is a work of reference -- plus resource base -- that should help you maintain the highest standards of advocacy.

Do visit the publisher's website for recent developments and new titles.