Free written assessment · no obligation · yours to keep
See the pack you would get, before you ask for it.
Deadline within days? Say it first
Your pack: six documents
- 01 EvidenceYour papers gathered, indexed and read for what they prove.
- 02 ChronologyEvents in date order, each tied to the document that supports it.
- 03 IssuesTested against the Civil Procedure Rules until the genuine issues stand apart. A worked example from the Civil rulebook: where the court sets no date of its own, the small claims standard direction is that documents must be with the court and the other side no later than 14 days before the hearing. The Chronology turns that into a dated entry against your hearing date. CPR Practice Direction 27A, Appendix B (Ministry of Justice).
- 04 RouteThe procedural routes open to you, with what each one requires.
- 05 StrategyThe procedural sequence organised: what happens in what order under the rules, and what each stage requires of you.
- 06 Next stepsThe immediate procedural steps the rules put in front of you — what each requires, not which to take.
The pack above is what Legal Lens produces. Send your papers and it is prepared for your matter — a written reply within two working days.
What this cannot tell you
It reports what Legal Lens produces. It reads nothing about your case, and it is not advice.
- It cannot tell you your deadlines. Time limits turn on facts only a person reading your papers can establish.
- It cannot tell you your prospects. No assessment can promise how a tribunal or court will decide.
- It cannot tell you whether your matter needs a solicitor, but the written assessment will say so, early, where it does.
- It cannot tell you what to do. The pack organises your papers and maps the procedural routes — it is not advice on merits, prospects or remedies.
If you need help tonight: Samaritans, any time — 116 123 — or the crisis entries in the Basic Assistance Directory.
On the record
- Founded
- 2024
- Jurisdiction
- England & Wales
- Working focus
- Litigants in person
- Free legal tools
- 5
- Registered with the ICO
- ZB903494
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity & cyber risk held
- Independence
- No referral commissions
Legal Lens is the trading name of John Carl Barwell, operating as a sole trader. It is not a limited company, a firm of solicitors, or authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Legal Lens is therefore not subject to the SRA Standards and Regulations. It nevertheless operates according to its published professional standards, maintains professional indemnity insurance, and does not undertake reserved legal activities — including the conduct of litigation and rights of audience — or imply regulatory authorisation it does not have.
Dated entries
Forensic, practical writing on tribunal procedure, regulatory accountability and access to justice.
Dispute Resolution
When Separate Incidents May Form One Continuing Act
The EAT overturned the strike-out of race discrimination complaints in Waithaka v Barclays. Why different managers, incidents and forms of treatment may still form one continuing state of affairs for Equality Act time limits.
Dispute Resolution
Mental Health and Sanctions in Employment Tribunals
Tribunal conduct may be disruptive in effect while mental impairment remains relevant to its cause. Evidence, non-attendance, costs, unless orders, strike-out and fairness to both parties.
Legal Practice
Employment Tribunal Adjustments for Vulnerable Litigants
Tribunals have broad powers to support vulnerable parties. But an impaired litigant in person may struggle to identify the barrier, explain its functional effect and provide the evidence a proportionate adjustment needs.
A working toolkit, free to use
Five tools we built to put real procedural capability in your hands: research, data rights, guidance and case organisation.
Search and analyse UK case law, find relevant precedent and build evidence-based arguments for your matter.
Build a legally compliant Subject Access Request to obtain your personal data and exercise your rights under UK GDPR.
Plain-English guidance on civil law matters: concepts, procedural requirements and the options that may be open to you.
Organise your matter: track deadlines, store documents and keep a clear, ordered timeline of events.
Factsheets, a basic assistance directory and a peer support network: practical starting points when you don’t know where to begin.
Giles provides guidance, not legal advice.
The tools stay free. When you want your own pack in writing: Ask for your pack in writing
Strategic consultancy for complex matters
Where you are up against an institution with far deeper resources, careful preparation is the leveller.
Employment tribunals & whistleblowing
Documentary support and procedural guidance for unfair dismissal, discrimination and protected-disclosure claims.
Regulatory accountability
Holding professional regulators and public bodies to account through evidence-based challenge.
Litigant in person support
Procedural knowledge, document preparation and strategic planning for self-represented parties.
Evidence analysis
Review and assessment of documentary evidence strength to shape your case presentation strategy.
Part of the work is recognising which matters need a regulated adviser, then preparing your file so their time is spent where it counts. How we work & fees: the terms of engagement
Practical knowledge for the people who face the system alone
Legal Lens was founded in 2024 by John Barwell, whose personal experiences with the legal system highlighted gaps in accessible professional knowledge.
We work with individuals, and especially with litigants in person, giving them solid knowledge and real-world context. That means improving public understanding of the law in the UK, challenging bias, and helping people navigate the legal landscape.
More about Legal LensIf this is the position you are in: Start with what is happening to you
Their resources made all the difference in my tribunal case. For the first time, I felt like I understood the process and had a fighting chance against a well-funded opponent.
Send the papers. Get the pack in writing.
Send what you have, or simply an account of what is happening. You will get back a free, written assessment you can keep, check and act on in your own time.
Prefer to talk it through first? Book a free 60-minute consultation (opens in new tab)
- Confidential
- No obligation
- You stay in control of your documents
You remain responsible for deadlines and formal decisions in your matter, and urgent or regulated legal advice may sometimes be required — if so, we will say so. Beyond the free assessment, consultancy is from £60/hour, set out plainly in our terms of engagement.
Legal Lens
The free written assessment: what it produces
Assembled in your browser from what you selected. Nothing on this sheet was sent anywhere.
The forum you chose
Civil: tested against the Civil Procedure Rules
What you said you already hold
- Nothing selected: the assessment starts from whatever you have.
What this sheet cannot tell you
- Your deadlines. Time limits turn on facts only a person reading your papers can establish.
- Your prospects. No assessment can promise how a tribunal or court will decide.
- Whether your matter needs a solicitor, but the written assessment will say so, early, where it does.
- What to do. The pack organises your papers and maps the procedural routes — it is not advice on merits, prospects or remedies.
The six documents you would receive
- 01Evidence: Your papers gathered, indexed and read for what they prove.
- 02Chronology: Events in date order, each tied to the document that supports it.
- 03Issues: Tested against the rules of your tribunal, regulator or court until the genuine issues stand apart.
- 04Route: The procedural routes open to you, with what each one requires.
- 05Strategy: The procedural sequence organised: what happens in what order under the rules, and what each stage requires of you.
- 06Next steps: The immediate procedural steps the rules put in front of you — what each requires, not which to take.