King's Inns Civil Procedure study plan

Map the full civil procedure syllabus into a one-page topic tree covering jurisdiction, commencement, pleadings, case management, discovery, motions, trial, judgment, costs, and appeals

Draft a personal glossary of 40 core terms (e.g. plenary summons, summary summons, statement of claim, notice of motion, discovery, interrogatories) with a one-line definition and the stage each belongs to

Read the foundational material on the court structure and the rules governing commencement of proceedings, then write a 300-word summary in your own words without referring back

Build a weekly timetable that allocates your 6 hours across reading, practice questions, and review, and log your first week's actual hours

Distinguish summary summons, plenary summons, and special summons procedure, and when each is appropriate

Explain the rules on service of proceedings, including substituted service and service outside the jurisdiction, in writing from memory

Draft a checklist for commencing an action from instruction to service, noting each document and deadline

Answer 15 multiple-choice questions on commencement and service and record your score with a short note on each error

Set out the sequence and purpose of pleadings: statement of claim, defence, counterclaim, reply, and particulars

Identify the grounds for attacking pleadings (striking out for failure to disclose a cause of action, scandalous or vexatious content, or abuse of process) and the tests applied

Practise writing a short statement of claim and a defence from a supplied fact pattern of your own construction

Summarise the amendment rules and the factors a court weighs when permitting amendment

Explain the objectives and mechanics of case management, including directions hearings and timetables

Describe the consequences of non-compliance with directions and the relief available

Consolidate weeks 1 to 4 into a single revision sheet and self-test on it without notes

Complete a timed 30-question practice set covering the first half of the syllabus and analyse results by subtopic

Outline the discovery process: voluntary discovery, categories of documents, relevance and proportionality, and privilege claims

Distinguish discovery from interrogatories, notices to admit, and witness summonses, and state when each is used

Draft a notice of motion with grounding affidavit structure for a discovery application

Explain the sanctions for failure to comply with discovery obligations

Map interlocutory applications: jurisdiction, notice requirements, grounding affidavits, and the return date process

Explain the test and procedure for summary judgment and for dismissal for want of prosecution

Describe the rules on security for costs and when they are triggered

Answer 20 practice questions on motions and interlocutory relief and log the reasoning behind each answer

Trace the trial process from setting down for trial through the hearing, including the role of the judge and the order of evidence

Summarise the rules on judgments, orders, and their enforcement

Explain the costs regime, including the general rule that costs follow the event and the court's discretion

Outline appeal routes, time limits, and the grounds on which an appeal may be brought

Complete two full timed mock papers under exam conditions and mark them strictly against the syllabus

Revisit every error from weeks 1 to 7 and write a corrected one-line rule for each

Reduce your notes to a final one-page pre-exam sheet covering the highest-yield rules and time limits

Rehearse the most common procedural sequences aloud from memory to confirm fluency