Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Editors: Stuart Sime, Derek French & Sir Maurice Kay

Price: £195.00

Edition: 11th Edition (September 2010)

ISBN: 978-0-19-958831-2

Buy from OUP: Click Here

It has been over ten years since Blackstone's Civil Practice burst onto the scene.  During that time, it is probably fair to say that the text has had an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary, approach.  This new edition is no different except there is a noticeable re-arrangement of some chapters which some topics disappearing from the last edition.

Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011 aims to provide one affordable volume so it is the only companion needed by the busy practitioner.  It largely achieves this aim by providing a coherently written and practical guide to civil procedure and commercial disputes.  Unlike similar texts, it is more of a textbook and less of a rulebook.  This has a significant advantage meaning that topics can be discussed more broadly rather than focussing on a particular rule or issue.  Similarly, some of the more popular commercial disputes (including insolvency and mortgage repossession claims) are giving short sections explaining the law and procedure.

In my review of the last edition, I was critical of the lack of updating to some of the chapters.  For example, the chapter on consumer credit was woefully out of date.  This chapter has, however, disappeared in Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011 (without any explanation).  This is perhaps disappointing to practitioners and the judiciary, particularly when consumer credit has taken up so much of the Court's time in the last couple of years.  Despite this, Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011 remains a wonderfully written: being both authoritative and clear.  It also has a number of great features: the procedural checklists are simply invaluable for any practitioner.

Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011 is well-structured and expertly written.  I remain disappointed that it does not come with a CD-ROM (which came with much earlier editions) but, fortunately, a free supplement remains a key way of updating the text.  This edition is, however, in a transitional period as some material is added and whilst other is removed.  If the text between the pages continues to be of a high standard, I have no doubt that Blackstone's Civil Practice 2011 will remain a highly regarded text amongst practitioners for many years to come.  It should certainly remain close to hand for any busy commercial litigator.

Reviewed on 12 February 2011

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