PREPARING BUNDLES: A GUIDE FOR LITIGANTS IN PERSON (FAMILY GUIDANCE – BUT MUCH FOR OTHERS TO LEARN…)

We all know that the preparation of bundles can be a tricky job, even for legal professionals. The rules in relation to Bundles in family proceedings changed today. The Office of the President of the Family Division has published guidance for Litigants in Person.  Although it relates primarily to family proceedings there are many hints that civil practitioners, or litigants in person, can pick up.  For instance it gives examples of a Case Summary, Statement of Issues, Position Statement and Chronology.  Added to this there is an example of an index/layout for a Bundle,

RELATED WEBINARS

Avoiding the pitfalls: Bundles, witnesses and preparing for trial 29th May 2026, booking details available here.

WHERE TO FIND THE GUIDANCE

The guidance can be found here.

The explanatory text can be found here.

Practice Direction 27A – Family Proceedings: Court Bundles (external link), supplements FPR Part 27 and comes into force today (Monday 2 March 2026).

As set out at paragraph 1.1 of PD27A, this practice direction must be applied in order to achieve consistency across England and Wales in the family court and the Family Division of the High Court in the preparation and filing of court bundles.

The Office of the President of the Family Division has today published the accompanying guidance “Preparing Court Bundles for Family Proceedings. A Guide for Litigants in Person”. It is attached below.

This guidance applies to court cases in England and Wales which are being heard in the family court or the Family Division of the High Court (wherever the court may be sitting).

It supersedes the “Guidance on E-Bundles for use in the Family Court and Family Division” (21 December 2021), and the “General guidance on electronic court bundles” (November 29, 2021) no longer applies in the context of Family proceedings.