This is the first practitioner's work to deal in detail with the new rule (19.III) on Group Litigation Orders under the Civil Procedure Rules. Due to come into effect in mid-2000, it introduces for the first time specific provisions dealing with the procedural aspects of managing multi-party actions.

The book provides exhaustive analysis of the new rule and relates it to the extensive experience which has been gained from the major multi-party actions of recent years, such as those relating to Opren, Benzodiazepine tranquilizers, the Sellafield radiation claims, the Lloyd's litigation, Norplant, the British Coal Vibration White Finger litigation and the British Coal respiratory disease litigation. The book includes fifteen case studies on these and other major cases, written by the practitioners involved and providing a major factual resource for all tort lawyers. The details of the matters in issue in these cases and their resolution have not previously been easily accessible, nor systematically analysed.

Also included are chapters contributed by leading lawyers from the US, Canada, and Australia on their class action rules, which enables useful comparisons to be made on points both of principle and practice.

Written by a leading expert in the field, the book provides a uniquely detailed analysis of multi-party actions and their management.