Court system
Describe the general organisation of the court system for civil litigation.

The legal profession
Describe the general organisation of the legal profession.

General
Give a brief overview of the political and social background as it relates to civil litigation.

Jurisdiction and venue
What are the criteria for determining the jurisdiction and venue of the competent court for a civil matter?

Forum shopping
Does your jurisdiction commonly attract disputes that have a nexus with other jurisdictions?

Pendency in another forum
How will a court treat a request to hear a dispute that is already pending before another forum?

Deference to arbitration
How will the courts treat a dispute that is, or could be, subject to an arbitration clause or an agreement to arbitrate, including in interim proceedings?

Judicial review of arbitral awards on jurisdiction
May courts in your country review arbitral awards on jurisdiction?

Anti-suit injunctions
Are anti-suit injunctions available?

Sovereign immunity
Which entities are immune from being sued in your jurisdiction? In what circumstances? In what circumstances can creditors enforce a court judgment or arbitral award against a sovereign or a state entity?

Commencement and conduct of proceedings in general
How are proceedings commenced? To what extent will a court actively lead the proceedings and to what extent will the court rely on the parties to further the proceedings?

Statement of claim
What are the requirements for filing a claim? What is the pleading standard?

Statement of defence
What are the requirements for answering claims? What is the pleading standard?

Further briefs and submissions
What are the rules regarding further briefs and submissions?

Publicity
To what degree are civil proceedings made public?

Advice and settlement proposals
Will a court render (interim) assessments about any factual or legal issues in dispute? What role and approach do courts typically take regarding settlement? Are there mandatory settlement conferences between the parties at the outset of or during the litigation?

Mediation
Is referral to mediation or another form of ADR an option, or even mandatory, before or during the litigation?

Forms of interim relief
What are the forms of emergency or interim relief?

Obtaining relief
What must a petitioner show to obtain interim relief?

Types of decisions
What types of decisions (other than interim relief) may a court render in civil matters?

Timing of decisions
At what stage of the proceedings may a court render a decision? Are motions to dismiss and summary judgment available?

Default judgment
Under which circumstances will a default judgment be rendered?

Duration of proceedings
How long does it typically take a court of first instance to render a decision?

Third parties – joinder, third-party notice, intervenors
How can third parties become involved in proceedings?

Taking and adducing evidence
Will a court take or initiate the taking of evidence or will it rely on the parties to request the taking of evidence and to present it?

Disclosure
Is an opponent obliged to produce evidence that is harmful to it in the proceedings? Is there a document disclosure procedure in place? What are the consequences if evidence is not produced by a party?

Witnesses of fact
Please describe the key characteristics of witness evidence in your jurisdiction. Is witness preparation allowed?

Expert witnesses
Who appoints expert witnesses? What is the role of experts?

Party witnesses
Can parties to proceedings (or a party’s directors and officers in the case of a legal person) act as witnesses? Can the court draw negative inferences from a party’s failure to testify or act as a witness?

Foreign law and documentation
How is foreign law or foreign-language documentation introduced into the proceedings and considered by the courts?

Standard of proof
What standard of proof applies in civil litigation? Are there different standards for different issues?

Options for appeal
What are the possibilities to appeal a judicial decision? How many levels of appeal are there?

Standard of review
What aspects of a lower court's decisions will an appeals court review and by what standards?

Duration of appellate proceedings
How long does it usually take to obtain an appellate decision?

Class actions
Are class actions available?

Derivative actions
Are derivative actions available?

Fast-track proceedings
Are fast-track proceedings available?

Foreign-language proceedings
Is it possible to conduct proceedings in a foreign language?

Effects of a judgment
What legal effects does a judgment have?

Enforcement procedure
What are the procedures and options for enforcing a domestic judgment?

Enforcement of foreign judgments
Under what circumstances will a foreign judgment be enforced in your jurisdiction?

Costs
Will the successful party’s costs be borne by the opponent?

Legal aid
May a party apply for legal aid to finance court proceedings? What other options are available for parties who may not be able to afford litigation?

Contingency fees
Are contingency fee arrangements permissible? Are they commonly used?

Third-party funding
Is third-party funding allowed in your jurisdiction?

Fee scales
Are there fee scales lawyers must follow? Are there upper or lower limits for fees charged by lawyers in your jurisdiction?