Pleading (England and Wales)

Pleading in England and Wales is covered by the Civil Procedure Rules, which give a high priority to attempts by the parties to resolve every matter that can be resolved before a hearing or trial. The pleadings are contained in various statements of case, usually the claim and any associated particulars of claim, the defence, and an optional reply to the defence. They are broadly equivalent to the summons, complaint and answer filed in some other jurisdictions. The pleadings set out succinctly the claims made by each side and their legal basis, and provide a basis for exploring the issues in the case. They must specify the basic facts alleged but need not evidence those facts or contain extensive legal argument, which are addressed at later stages of the process.