Facing court without a lawyer

Most people who go to court in England and Wales now go without a lawyer. Court papers are written for lawyers. Read them anyway, twice, and write down every date they contain. A date in a court document is a deadline, and the court will not remind you. If you have missed one already, say so in your next letter to the court and ask for more time; silence is worse than a late explanation.

Civil claims in England and Wales run under the Civil Procedure Rules, which are free online. Employment disputes go to the employment tribunal under its own rules. Family cases have theirs. The notice you received names the court or tribunal and the case number; put both on everything you send.

Keep every letter, email, form and order in one place, in date order, with a note of when you sent or received it. Courts lose documents. Our research found 92 per cent of a sample of court files had documents missing or unprocessed. Your file is the only complete record there will be.

Anything the court needs to know goes to the court in writing, with the case number, copied to the other party. Phone calls are not recorded. If you send something important, keep proof of when it went.

Know the three things you most need the judge to understand and be able to say each in two sentences. Bring your file. Answer the question you are asked. If you do not understand something, say so; judges are used to it and would rather you asked.

A free case review from Blind Justice UK gives you a written assessment of where you stand and what to do next. Our LiP Navigator walks through the civil court process step by step. Citizens Advice, law centres and Support Through Court help in person. Advocate can find a barrister to act for free in some cases. If your case needs regulated legal advice, we will tell you and help you find it. Alone in Court, by our founder, is a practical guide drawn from our case files, published on the 3rd of November 2026.