Key terms

• Claimant - the person or organisation complaining that they have suffered loss or damage.
• Defendant - the person alleged to have caused the loss or damage
• Law of tort - part of civil law dealing with civil wrongs, such as negligence and nuisance
• Negligence - a failure to act or acting in a way not expected of a reasonable person.
• Contract law - part of civil law protecting people and businesses who have made agreements - for example about buying and selling goods and services
• Compensation - a sum of money paid to someone who has successfully brought a case against someone else
• High Court - Claim above £100,000 or personal injuries above £50,000
• County Court Multi-track- Any claim not in fast track or small caims track (£50,000 - £100,000)
• County Court fast-track - claims up to £25,000 and personal injuries up to £50,000
• County court small claims track - claims up to £10,000 or personal injuries up to £1000
• Queen's bench division - part of the high Court that deals with claims over £100,000 or personal injuries over £50,000
• Chancery Division - Part of the High Court dealing with property disputes, wills, insolvency and trusts
• Family division - deals with aspects of divorce, children's welfare and medical treatment.
• Judicial precedent - a judge must follow the decision made in previous cases where the facts are the same as those in the present case. (Robinson v chief constable of west yorkshire)
• Arbitrator - impartial person who makes a decision on a dispute by means of Arbitration.
• Conciliation - an impartial expert encourages two sides to come to an agreement between themselves
• Mediation - focuses on working on the relationship between the parties involved.
• Negotiation - direct discussion between two disputing parties, aiming to find a solution
• Ombudsmen - person who investigates complaints about organisations
• Solicitor - qualified to deal with all legal matters, may also instruct barristers and represent clients in some courts.
• Barrister - regulated by the bar Council. Specialise in particular areas of law and act as advocates, draft court and legal documents and are sources of advice.
• Citizens Advice - free, wide range of advice, relatively local, quick advice ready for next step. May not be able to do more than suggest to go to a solicitors
• Law Centres - cheap or free, experts in their field of work, often open at convenient times. Not necessarily local.
• Insurance companies - easy to access, can specialise in particular types of claims, such as classic cars. Client must pay a premium for the policy, dealt with at a distance, sometimes limited range of cases dealt with
• Internet - instant availability, wide range of information available, free. Not always based on England's laws and not al2ys