Recommendation 17

The proportion of cases where neither party was represented in family courts was 39% in 2024, three times that in 2013.31 Many stakeholders who provided written submissions told us that people going through legal disputes without legal representation (litigants in person), often feel overwhelmed by the family court process, including the paperwork and the rules. They also told us that when people represent themselves, judges and court staff often have to spend additional time to support them, and hearings often take longer.32 MoJ noted that there is no evidence that litigants in person increase delays, and that the longest cases are those in which both applicants are represented.33 However, evidence from the Bar Council was that available data on litigants in person are poor, covering both cases with active and inactive litigants, painting an inaccurate picture 26 Qq 40-41 27 C&AG’s Report, para 3.5 28 Q 43 29 C&AG’s Report, para 14 30 Q 41 31 C&AG’s Report, para 14 32 IFC0022, IFC0055, IFC0068, IFC0075, IFC0091, IFC0108 33 Q 49 13 of their impact on how long cases take.34 MoJ told us that it is doing a lot to support litigants in person, including providing over £6 million of funding this year to 60 organisations to improve advice available for them.35