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Style of legal cases

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Segilla | 18:43 Fri 03rd Dec 2010 | Law
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Am I right in thinking that in e.g., Smith v. Jones, Smith is the Plaintiff, Jones the Defendant - and has it always been so, back as far as 1757?
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My understanding is the same as yours. Plaintiff vs Defendant, I can't comment on the history.
The first named is the plaintiff, although in civil cases the term used now is 'claimant'.
When the new rules came into effect a few years ago, a barrister stood up in court at the start of a trial and said, "M'lud, I represent the plaintiff", to which the judge replied, "no you don't, you represent the claimant". It goes back a lot further than 1757 I think.

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