There are 4 tracks in civil justice: small claims track, fast track, intermediate track and multi-track
For cases above GBP 200,000, there is a filing of GBP 10,000 that needs to be paid before the claim form (i.e. writ) can be issued.
Parties need to discuss and try to agree which of the “menu” of disclosure (i.e. discovery) options to adopt. For smaller cases, “standard disclosure” (i.e. the only choice in Hong Kong) is often not chosen.
There is “costs budgeting”: parties also need to tell the court in advance how much they propose to spend at each stage of the proceedings.
Failure to submit this costs budget without valid excuse could mean costs going forward cannot be recovered from the other side even if the party wins. See a case between an MP and Daily Mirror, which established this on appeal.
As opposed to an affirmation/affidavit, in many situations now the standard way to provide evidence is by way of witness statement (which does not have to be affirmed/sworn in front of an independent solicitor).