Guides
SelfCase Guides
Plain-English guides for people trying to understand court papers, bundles, orders, questionnaires and evidence.
Bundles and evidence
Allegations without evidence: how to stay focused
How to recognise unsupported allegations and avoid being pulled into defensive over-response.
Read the guideBundle agreements: what to check before agreeing
How to check whether a proposed bundle appears complete, balanced and usable before agreeing it.
Read the guideRepresenting yourself in practice
Anxiety during court proceedings: why paper control helps
Why anxiety is understandable in court proceedings, and how paper organisation can reduce confusion without pretending to remove the stress.
Read the guideCourt boundaries: what matters to you may not matter to the court
How to distinguish what feels important personally from what may be relevant to the current court stage.
Read the guideDifferent types of litigant in person: starting, switching or finishing alone
Why people become litigants in person at different stages, and how paper support can help each group.
Read the guideSave it for the dressing room: keeping court communication calm
Why frustration is normal, but formal court communication should stay calm, factual and paper-based.
Read the guideWhy family court can feel so confusing
Why the family court process may feel unfair, slow or illogical at first, and why understanding the framework can help you navigate it more calmly.
Read the guideSolicitor letters and responses
Common pressure points in legal correspondence
Common correspondence patterns that can unsettle litigants in person, and how to analyse them without overreacting.
Read the guideHow to read solicitor letters without being overwhelmed
How to slow down, separate pressure from information, and work out what a solicitor's letter is actually asking for.
Read the guideCosts and support options
How to choose a solicitor when you still want control of your papers
How to decide what kind of solicitor support you need, what to organise before instructing, and how to use paid legal advice more efficiently.
Read the guideUsing solicitors, barristers and McKenzie Friends only where needed
How people can combine self-representation with selected professional or lay support while keeping control of their papers.
Read the guideWhat it can cost to use solicitors, barristers and McKenzie Friends
How legal and support costs can mount up, and why paper organisation can make paid help more focused.
Read the guideWhy there are so many litigants in person
Why self-representation has become common, including legal aid limits, cost pressure, partial representation and desire for control.
Read the guideFamily court process
Mapping the child arrangements process
A plain-English map of the child arrangements paper journey and how the level of detail can grow over time.
Read the guideMapping the financial remedy process
A plain-English map of financial remedy papers, disclosure, questionnaires, ES1/ES2, FDR and how detail grows over time.
Read the guideHearings and preparation
Position statements: keep them simple and stage-focused
How to keep a position statement focused on the current hearing, the documents and what is actually relevant.
Read the guideWhy getting in front of a judge can feel different from email warfare
Why the court process can feel less abstract once a LiP has experienced the building, the room and the hearing structure.
Read the guideWhy your forms and statements must be easy to scan
Why court documents need clarity, headings, dates and source references because busy readers may scan them quickly.
Read the guide