{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-1.4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-1.4.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/3132",
  "legislation_title": "The Civil Procedure Rules 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998",
  "path": "rule/1.4",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "1.4",
  "heading": "Court’s duty to manage cases",
  "text": "(1) The court must further the overriding objective by actively managing cases.\n(2) Active case management includes —\n(a) encouraging the parties to co-operate with each other in the conduct of the proceedings;\n(b) identifying the issues at an early stage;\n(c) deciding promptly which issues need full investigation and trial and accordingly disposing summarily of the others;\n(d) deciding the order in which issues are to be resolved;\n(e) ordering or encouraging the parties to use, and facilitating the use of, alternative dispute resolution;\n(f) helping the parties to settle the whole or part of the case;\n(g) fixing timetables or otherwise controlling the progress of the case;\n(h) considering whether the likely benefits of taking a particular step justify the cost of taking it;\n(i) dealing with as many aspects of the case as it can on the same occasion;\n(j) dealing with the case without the parties needing to attend at court;\n(k) making use of technology; and\n(l) giving directions to ensure that the trial of a case proceeds quickly and efficiently.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in rule 1.4(2)(e) substituted (1.10.2024) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 3) Rules 2024 (S.I. 2024/839), rules 1(1), 3(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Rule 1.4 in force at 26.4.1999, see Signature"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3132/rule/1.4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:59.276840+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}