Independent, practical help for litigants in person in England & Wales.
Written by John Barwell
Court fees are set to be felt — £455 to issue an £8,000 claim, £346 more for the hearing — but the Help with Fees scheme can reduce them to zero for anyone under the savings and income thresholds. The catch is that it is strictly self-service: a separate application for every fee, a 28-day clock on evidence letters, and three months to reclaim a fee you should never have paid.
Written by John Barwell
Judicial review is often the only route for challenging a public body’s decision — but every claim needs the court’s permission, and the three-month clock runs from the decision itself, not from when you first get advice. This guide explains what judicial review can reach, how the pre-action protocol works, what the permission filter screens for, and when another route is the better tool.
Written by John Barwell
The EAT overturned the strike-out of race discrimination complaints in Waithaka v Barclays. The judgment explains why different managers, incidents and forms of treatment may still form part of one continuing state of affairs for Equality Act time-limit purposes.
Written by John Barwell
Employment Tribunal conduct may be disruptive in effect while mental impairment remains relevant to its cause. This article examines evidence, non-attendance, costs, unless orders, strike-out and fairness to both parties.
Written by John Barwell
Employment 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 needed for a proportionate adjustment.
Written by John Barwell
Employment Tribunal proceedings do not inevitably cause mental illness. But for a litigant in person, self-representation can add anxiety, cognitive load and procedural pressure to an already damaging workplace dispute.
Written by John Barwell
Outcome is not explanation. Reasons matter because they make decisions intelligible, accountable and capable of proper scrutiny.
Written by John Barwell
The first battle in an Employment Tribunal claim may be procedural. The ET1, grounds of claim and particulars can decide whether the case is clear enough to survive early pressure.
Written by John Barwell
A Legal Lens article on ET3 responses, procedural fairness and why a bare denial may not define the dispute.
Written by John Barwell
The ET1 is more than an Employment Tribunal claim form. It is the first point where a workplace story becomes a case, shaping the issues, respondent response, evidence, amendment risk and access to justice.
