The Civil Procedure Act 1997 implemented much of the Woolf Report and unified the civil claims procedure in the UK courts. The objective is to ensure that the parties are on an equal footing, save expense and have their cases dealt with quickly and fairly. Litigation is seen as a last resort as the parties are encouraged to explore alternative dispute resolution methods and display greater cooperation at the pre-action stage under the pre-action protocols. See ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT 1999.