Going to court when the other side has a lawyer and you don't

Summary

Understand how going to court works and what to expect when the other people or organisations involved in the case do have a lawyer. If you are going to court, or are thinking about it, and you cannot afford to pay a lawyer to advise and represent you, this guide is for you. It explains how to prepare for court without a lawyer, the skills you need to get you through the process and gives you practical tips on how to make your case as well as you can. The law in this guide relates to England and Wales only. The law in Scotland and Northern Ireland is different. But, the practical tips about preparing for and going to court are likely to be useful wherever you are in the UK. 1 Getting started 2 Things to understand 3 Lawyers and other people you are likely to meet during your case 4 Support at court from McKenzie friends 5 The media and your case 6 Duties of regulated practising lawyers 7 What to expect when the other side has a regulated practising lawyer to represent them 8 Concerns about regulated practising lawyers representing the other side 9 Skills you need to get you through your case 10 Running your own case 11 Preparing your case 12 Getting ready to go to a court hearing.

Key information

• •Lawyers and what their role is, including what they can and cannot do.
• •Other people you may meet when you are involved in a court case and what their roles are.
• •The skills you need to represent yourself so that you can keep calm, focus on the practicalities and come out the other end.
• •Going to an employment tribunal
• •If you are involved in a case that ends up in court and you don’t have a lawyer, the law calls you a litigant in person, or a LiP for short.
• •This guide talks about going to court but it will also be useful if you are going to a tribunal as the other side there may well be represented by a lawyer and you will need the same skills to run your tribunal case as you would for a court case.
• •If you are not involved in a court case yet but are thinking about applying to court, it is a good idea to think about whether there is another way to sort out your issue, such as mediation or another type of dispute resolution. Going to court is not a quick or easy fix. And even if you don’t pay a lawyer at any point there could still be some or even a lot of costs that you have to pay. We explain more about this in the section called Costs.
• •To find out more about how to avoid court take a look at How to sort out your problem before or instead of going to court. If your case is about a family law problem you may find our Family mediation guide useful.
• •There are different words used in court to describe the people involved in a case. The people who the dispute is between are called the ‘parties’. If you apply to court, you will be called the ‘applicant’ or the ‘claimant’ depending on the type of case. If someone else has applied and sent you the application you will be called the ‘respondent’ or the ‘defendant’, again, depending on the type of case.
• •This guide is mainly for people going to the civil court, family court or a tribunal in England and Wales. But if you are a defendant in a criminal case and cannot get legal aid or afford to pay a lawyer then the sections about lawyers will still be useful and many of the practical tips about running your own case will also help you.
• •You may have information from the court or tribunal already. If you have been told that your hearing will take place via video or phone call, take a look at our guide called Court and tribunal hearings by video or phone call. This guide explains more about these types of hearings, that lawyers often call 'remote' hearings.
• •Are usually not legally qualified and may not have experience or understanding of the law or procedure.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Going to court when the other side has a lawyer and you don't](https://www.advicenow.org.uk/get-help/going-court/representing-myself-court/going-court-when-other-side-has-lawyer-and-you-dont)

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