Participation, not pity: how the civil courts must accommodate vulnerable litigants in person

Since April 2021 the civil courts’ overriding objective has included making sure parties can participate fully and give their best evidence — and Practice Direction 1A gives judges a toolkit of directions to make that real. Many litigants in person have never heard of it. This guide sets out the menu of participation directions, who counts as vulnerable, and the wording of a short application you can file.