Court Rules

1. Civil proceedings in the Court shall, unless otherwise provided by Statute or by these Rules, be instituted by the issue of a Civil Bill, which shall be in the appropriate form in accordance with the Schedule of Forms to these Rules (being Forms 2A to 20), or such modification thereof as may be suitable and shall state such facts as may be necessary to show the jurisdiction of the Court.

2. [1] Civil Bill Ejectments on the title and Civil Bills issued for the purpose of establishing questions of title to land, other than ejectments for overholding or for non-payment of rent, shall be headed "Title Jurisdiction" and shall contain, as the case may be,

(a) a statement that the market value (within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961) of the land does not exceed €3,000,000 or
(b) such statement of the rent as shall show jurisdiction. At the hearing of any such case the plaintiff may be required to produce a map of the land.

3.[2] (1) Subject to Order 8, the Civil Bill shall state:

(a) the given or first name, surname, occupation and residence or place of business of the plaintiff;
(b) the surname of the defendant, his residence or place of business, and, where known, his given or first name and his occupation, and, if the defendant is sued in a representative capacity, the capacity in which he is sued.

(2) A solicitor acting for a plaintiff shall additionally indorse upon the Civil Bill his or her name or that of his or her firm and:

(i) the registered place of business where documents may be left for him or her, and
(ii) where the plaintiff’s solicitor consents to the receipt of such documents by electronic mail, his or her electronic mail address (in lieu of his or her registered place of business) to which documents in the proceedings may be sent in electronic form.

(3) The indorsement required by sub-rules (1) and (2) shall be in the following form:

“This Civil Bill was issued by......., whose registered place of business is........, *[and who consents to the service of documents in the proceedings by electronic mail to ...............], solicitor for the plaintiff, ........., who *[resides/has his/her place of business] at...... and is..........”

(4) A plaintiff suing in person shall additionally indorse upon the Civil Bill:

(i) an address for service, where documents may be left for him or her, and
(ii) where the plaintiff consents to the receipt of documents in the proceedings by electronic mail, his or her electronic mail address (in lieu of an address for service) to which documents may be sent in electronic form.

(5) The indorsement required by sub-rules (1) and (4) shall be in the following form:

“This Civil Bill was issued by the plaintiff,......., who *[resides/has his/her place of business] at...... and is.......... *[and who consents to the service of documents in the proceedings by electronic mail to ...............],”

4. The Civil Bill shall call upon a defendant to enter an appearance within a stated time after service (which shall not be less than ten days or other time limited for appearance by agreement of the parties or any order of the Court) to answer the claim of the plaintiff, and shall warn him of the consequences of failure to do so provided that the expiry of such time shall not entitle the Office to refuse to permit an appearance to be entered.

5. Every Civil Bill shall be signed by the plaintiff, or by his Solicitor, and shall be endorsed with particulars of the plaintiff’s demand:—

(a) stating the nature, extent and grounds thereof, full particulars of all items of special damage being claimed and the relief sought and, where it is a money claim, the amount thereof and the rate and amount of interest (if any) claimed. If, in the first instance, the plaintiff desires an account to be taken, that fact shall be stated, together with the specific amount (if any) which the plaintiff claims to be subject to that account;
(b) where there is more than one claim, stating like particulars of each claim to those in paragraph (a), and the relief sought in respect of each;
(c) stating the abandonment of any part of a claim, if the plaintiff desires abandonment in order to bring the claim within the jurisdiction;
(d) where the plaintiff sues in a representative capacity, stating the capacity in which he sues; and
(e) where the plaintiff sues as assignee, stating the name, address and description of the assignor at the date of the assignment, and the date of such assignment.

5A.[3] [4] In the case of proceedings the bringing of which requires to be authorised in accordance with sections 14, 17, 32, 36 or 49, or rules under section 46(3) of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act, 2003, the indorsement of claim shall contain a statement

(a) confirming whether or not the proceedings have been authorised by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board
(b) specifying the section of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act, 2003 or the rule made under section 46(3) of that Act in accordance with which any such authorisation has been issued, and
(c) citing the date of issue of the authorisation and any reference or record number relating to any such authorisation.

6. Whenever the plaintiff’s claim is for a debt or liquidated claim only, the endorsement, besides stating the nature of the claim shall state the amount claimed for debt or in respect of such demand, and for costs, respectively, and shall further state that, upon payment of such amount and costs within six days after service, further proceedings will be stayed. The amount to be so claimed for costs in all such cases where there has not been any order for service of the Civil Bill, or notice thereof, out of the jurisdiction, or for substituted or other service, or declaring service effected sufficient, or any notice by advertisement of the issuing of the Civil Bill, shall be in accordance with a Schedule of fees to be determined by the County Registrar for the County of the City of Dublin from time to time.

If there are more defendants than one, the above amounts may be increased by a reasonable sum for each additional defendant served.

7. Where, by any Statute not mentioned in these Rules, proceedings are authorised or directed to be taken in the Court, such proceedings shall be commenced by Civil Bill.

8.[5] The Consent prescribed by Section 22(1)(b) of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 which provides for the enlargement of the jurisdiction of the Court by consent of the parties shall be in the form set forth in Form 1 of the Schedule of Forms, and shall be lodged with the County Registrar either before or at any time during the hearing.

9.[6] Whenever an action, cause or matter is instituted which the court has not jurisdiction to try and determine, if the want of jurisdiction appears on the face of the originating document, the Court shall strike out the action, cause or matter with costs, unless the Consent prescribed by Section 22(1)(b) of the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 has been signed. Whenever an action, cause or matter is instituted which the court has not jurisdiction to try and determine, if the want of jurisdiction relates to venue and appears on the face of the originating document, the Court may transfer the action, cause or matter to the appropriate circuit or may strike out the action, cause or matter with costs as it considers appropriate.

10. [7][8] [9] Where proceedings are commenced in the Court on the basis of jurisdiction derived from:

(i) Regulation No. 1215/2012, or
(ii) ​the Lugano Convention as applied by the 1998 Act, or
(iii) the 1968 Convention as applied by the 1998 Act, or
(iv) Regulation 2201/2003 or, as the case may be,
(v) the Maintenance Regulation

the Civil Bill shall:

(a) before issue be indorsed with a statement that the Court has power under:

(i) Regulation No. 1215/2012, or
(ii) the Lugano Convention as applied by the 1998 Act, or
(iii) the 1968 Convention as applied by the 1998 Act, or
(iv) Regulation 2201/2003 or, as the case may be,(v) the Maintenance Regulation,

to hear and determine the action, cause or matter, and:

(I) specify the particular provision of Regulation No. 1215/2012, the Lugano Convention, Regulation 2201/2003 or, as the case may be, the Maintenance Regulation under which the Court has power to hear and determine the action, cause or matter, or
(II) specify the particular provision of the 1968 Convention under which the Court should assume jurisdiction;

(b) contain a statement that no proceedings between the parties concerning the same cause of action is pending between the parties in another Member State of the European Union or, as the case may be, Contracting State of the Convention concerned;(b) contain a statement that no proceedings between the parties concerning the same cause of action is pending between the parties in another Member State of the European Union or, as the case may be, Contracting State of the Convention concerned;

(c) contain a statement of the facts which are relied upon to show jurisdiction and venue;

(d) in proceedings referred to in Sections 3, 4 or 5 of Chapter II (Jurisdiction) of Regulation No. 1215/2012 where the policyholder, the insured, a beneficiary of the insurance contract, the injured party, the consumer or the employee is the defendant, the Civil Bill shall be endorsed before it is issued with a statement that:

(i) the defendant has a right to contest the jurisdiction of the Court and if he or she wishes to do so, he or she should enter an appearance to contest jurisdiction in accordance with Order 14, rule 5, and
(ii) if he or she enters an unconditional appearance, the Court has jurisdiction under Article 26.1 of Regulation No. 1215/2012, and
(iii) if he or she does not enter an appearance, judgment may be given in default against him or her.