Litigants in Person and Court Administration

Published January 2026, this policy report on justice by the Justice Select Committee highlights significant concerns regarding court administration failures affecting litigants self-representation. Since the implementation of LASPO, over 30 percent of civil litigants have chosen to represent themselves, and this report finds that administrative reliability is a critical barrier to justice for these individuals. 

Within the 20 cases analysed, an alarming 92 percent exhibited issues with missing or unprocessed documents, 85 percent involved mandatory submissions that failed to reach decision-makers, 88 percent demonstrated inaccurate or contradictory procedural advice, and 40 percent had claims dismissed or struck out entirely due to these administrative failures. The report presents seven recommendations to the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunals Service, beginning with the need for universal logging and confirmation of every filing.