A guide for self-represented litigants making applications to the Interim Applications Court of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court has been published by the judiciary today (Friday 11 January).
The Interim Applications Court (known as ‘Court 37’) deals with applications for orders pending the final trial of a case in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice – for example, for an injunction preventing the disclosure of confidential information, working for a rival employer, the disposal of money or property (a ‘freezing order’) or for an order requiring documentary disclosure by another party. History shows that a good number of self-represented litigants appear in this court either as applicants or as respondents to applications by represented parties and this is expected to increase.
The guide was written by Mr Justice Foskett with assistance from the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Personal Support Unit in the Royal Courts of Justice.
Writing in the guide’s foreword, Sir John Thomas, President of the Queen’s Bench Division, said:
“All courts throughout the country recognise the right of parties to represent themselves in a case that involves them. The difficulties that this may present to a person unfamiliar with court procedures are also recognised.
Past experience shows that self-represented litigants appear in [the Interim Applications Court in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court] quite frequently. The purpose of the Guide is simply to set out a few important practical points for a self-represented litigant to bear in mind when presenting his or her case. It does not set out to cover every aspect of the procedure, nor does it deal with any features of the substantive law. However, our hope is that it will help smooth the way for cases involving self-represented litigants in the Interim Applications Court to be heard fairly and effectively by the judge in the allotted time.
“Although designed for self-represented litigants, we hope that lawyers appearing in this court will consider the contents of the Guide carefully.”
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Notes to Editors:
A copy of the guide is available online here
