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"Professional bundles for business disputes"

Commercial Litigation Bundle Software

Create bundles aligned with the CPR for commercial disputes. From contract claims to Business & Property Courts cases, our templates ensure professional presentation.

Every stop on the journey produces a real document — template, form or hearing bundle

How do I prepare a commercial litigation bundle UK?

A commercial litigation bundle should include statements of case, witness statements (PD 57AC compliant), key contracts and correspondence, expert reports, and skeleton arguments. For trials over 3 days, prepare a core bundle with essential documents. BundleCreator organises these to CPR standards.

7-day free trial· No credit card required

CPR-Aligned
PD 57AC Ready
Core Bundle Format
Busy commercial litigation team at work across a City of London office, two solicitors comparing documents in the centre with Tower Bridge visible through the windows

Your Commercial Litigation Journey

Select your case stage

Each stop is a step in the journey. Larger ringed stops are hearings where you build a court bundle; smaller stops are forms, process steps, or court outcomes. Click any stop to see what it involves.

Claimant Route(Claim Side)
Both parties — shared steps(You both do these)
Defendant Route(Defence Side)
Interim Applications(Runs Alongside)
Company Insolvency — Winding-Up(Creditor / Company)
Shareholder Dispute — Unfair Prejudice (s.994)(Company Dispute)
After Trial(Post-Trial)
M= Mediation required
= Optional (does not always apply)
= Preparation or submission (no hearing)
iClaimant RouteClaim SideLBCN1 IssuedDefault JPart 36If neededDQ (N181)⚠ 14 d AoSiBoth parties — shared stepsYou both do theseMADRCCMCCounty Court / High Cour…DisclosureWitness StmtsExpertsIf neededDRDN/A (exchange between pa…PTRCounty Court / High Cour…TrialCounty Court / High Cour…typ. 12–18 mobefore PTRtyp. 2–3 moiDefendant RouteDefence SideResponse LetterPre-actionAoSCounty / Commercial CourtDefenceCounty / Commercial CourtPart 36 (Def)All tracksIf needed⚠ 14 d AoS⚠ 28 d defenceiInterim ApplicationsRuns AlongsideInjunctionHigh Court / Commercial …If interim relief neededSummary JCounty Court / High Cour…If no real prospect of successiCompany Insolvency — Winding-UpCreditor / CompanyStat. DemandOut of courtWU PetitionCompanies Court / B&PCGazetteLondon GazetteWU HearingCompanies Court / B&PCWU OrderCompanies Court / B&PC⚠ 21 d to comply⚠ ≥7 bd before hearingiShareholder Dispute — Unfair Prejudice (s.994)Company Disputes.994 PetitionCompanies Court / B&PCDefence + CMCCompanies Court / B&PCTrialCompanies Court / B&PCBuy-out OrderCompanies Court / B&PCiAfter TrialPost-TrialCostsCounty Court / High Cour…AppealHigh Court / Court of Ap…If permission to appeal grantedEnforcementIf neededPick one or moreN379N349N337N323N293A⚠ 21 days
Lines:Claimant RouteBoth parties — shared stepsDefendant RouteInterim ApplicationsCompany Insolvency — Winding-UpShareholder Dispute — Unfair Prejudice (s.994)After Trial
Stops:Bundle hearing — a court bundle is built hereProcess step — no bundle, just a procedural milestoneOptional step — dashed: not always applicable (e.g. only if needed or agreed)Form-filing endpoint — apply on a court form (warrant or enforcement)
Reading:Blog Insight — purple book icons link to a related article (opens in a new tab)
Timing:statutory — miss this and loserequired noticetypical wait
Laws:This journey summarises the procedure under Civil Procedure Rules Parts 7 and 58 (commercial claims), Practice Direction 39A (bundle directions), Sale of Goods Act 1979 / Consumer Rights Act 2015 (where applicable), Companies Act 2006 ss.994-996 (unfair-prejudice petition and remedies), Insolvency Act 1986 ss.122-124 (winding up) + s.123 (deemed inability to pay) and Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 (winding-up procedure). General information only — not legal advice.
© Steleo Publishing Ltd 2026. BundleCreator.co and the tube-map journey design are trade brands of Steleo Publishing Ltd.

Commercial litigation follows a structured path governed by the Civil Procedure Rules. Before issuing proceedings, the claimant must comply with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct: send a letter before claim setting out the claim and key documents, and propose ADR. Once proceedings are issued, the defendant has 14 days to acknowledge service (CPR 10.3 generally / CPR 58.6 in the Commercial Court). In ordinary CPR Part 7 claims the defence is due within 28 days from service of the particulars of claim under CPR 15.4 (extendable to 56 days by written agreement under CPR 15.5). In the Commercial Court, where the particulars of claim are served separately after the acknowledgement of service is filed — the routine pattern under CPR 58.5(1)(c) — CPR 58.10(2) starts the 28-day defence clock from SERVICE OF THE PARTICULARS OF CLAIM (not from filing of the AoS), which is materially later than the general CPR 15.4 rule because particulars are typically served some time after the claim form and AoS. Courts expect genuine engagement in ADR (usually mediation) and may impose costs sanctions under Halsey v Milton Keynes for unreasonable refusal. The Commercial Court Guide strongly encourages ADR at every stage. Once proceedings are issued, the statements of case phase follows: claim form and particulars of claim are served, the defendant files a defence (14 days from service, extendable to 28), and the claimant may file a reply. A counterclaim may be included with the defence. Between the CCMC and trial, the main litigation steps run in sequence: disclosure under Practice Direction 57AD (which applies in the Business and Property Courts and requires a Disclosure Review Document and e-disclosure protocols for electronic documents), exchange of witness statements (complying with Practice Direction 57AC — witnesses must confirm truth and must not be coached), and expert evidence (reports exchanged simultaneously, followed by without-prejudice discussions and a joint statement). Judgment is delivered at or after trial (reserved or ex tempore). Consequential matters — including the form of order, permission to appeal, and interim payment — are dealt with at the hand-down hearing. The map also shows two company-law routes that run separately from the contract-litigation lines: the creditor's compulsory WINDING-UP route (statutory demand for an undisputed debt of £750 or more → 21 days to comply → winding-up petition on the 'unable to pay its debts' ground (s.123 / s.122(1)(f) Insolvency Act 1986) → advertise in the London Gazette at least 7 business days before the hearing → winding-up order), and the minority-shareholder UNFAIR-PREJUDICE petition under s.994 Companies Act 2006, where the usual remedy under s.996 is a court-ordered buy-out of the petitioner's shares at a fair value. A statutory demand or winding-up petition must not be used for a genuinely disputed debt — that is an abuse of process.

Important: This journey map shows the typical stages of the relevant court or tribunal proceedings. It is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, consult a solicitor or instruct a barrister directly.

The law, court fees and time limits can change. We work hard to keep this map accurate, but it may contain errors or become out of date, so please check anything important against the official source — for example legislation.gov.uk or GOV.UK. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Steleo Publishing Limited does not accept liability for any loss arising from reliance on this map. Each stop represents a stage where a separate bundle may be required; BundleCreator handles the formatting — it does not replace professional legal advice.

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Quick Answer

Commercial litigation bundles must comply with CPR Practice Directions. Key documents include statements of case, witness statements (PD 57AC format for trials), expert reports, contracts, and correspondence. For complex cases, a core bundle extracts essential documents. BundleCreator is online court bundle software that creates bundles aligned with CPR PD 32 for all commercial court proceedings.

Last reviewed: 25 April 2026 by Stevie Hayes

Commercial Litigation Court Bundle UK: In Brief

A commercial litigation bundle is the trial or CMC bundle filed at the Business and Property Courts, Commercial Court (KBD), Technology and Construction Court, or in commercial claims in the King's Bench Division generally. Proceedings run under the Civil Procedure Rules 1998. Bundles for trial must follow CPR Part 39 and Practice Direction 39A; trial witness statements in the B&PC must align with PD 57AC.

Key rules
CPR Part 39 (trial bundles), PD 39A (trial bundle preparation), PD 32 (witness statements), PD 57AC (trial witness statements in B&PC)
Key forms
N1 (claim form), N9 (acknowledgment of service), N9B (defence), N244 (general application), N260 (statement of costs)
Bundle deadline
Trial bundles filed not less than 3 and not more than 7 days before trial (CPR PD 39A para 3.2)
Jurisdiction
Business and Property Courts (Rolls Building) for high-value London; specialist sub-courts (Commercial Court, TCC, IPEC, Chancery) for sector matters
Bundle size
Commercial Court Guide expects a focused core bundle; up to 1,000 pages supported with separate authorities bundle

Official guidance: CPR Part 39 and PD 39A — justice.gov.uk

UK commercial litigation key facts, 2026

Primary UK references on commercial procedure, witness statements, disclosure, and trial bundles.

StatValueSource
Procedure rulesCivil Procedure Rules + Business and Property Courts GuideBusiness and Property Courts Guide
Witness statement rules — trialPD 57AC: confined to witness's own knowledge; certificate of compliancePractice Direction 57AC
Disclosure Pilot — large commercial casesDisclosure Review Document, Issues for DisclosurePractice Direction 57AD
Bundle filing window — civil trialNot less than 3 days, no more than 7 days before trialCPR PD 32 para 27.5
Pre-Action Protocol — general commercialLetter of claim, response window, ADR considerationPractice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols
Court fee — issuing money claim £200,0005% of claim value, capped at £10,000GOV.UK EX50 fees schedule
Costs Budgeting (Part 7 multi-track)Required for claims £50k-£10m unless court orders otherwiseCPR Part 3 Section II + PD 3D
100,000+

Commercial claims per year

The Business and Property Courts handle over 100,000 commercial disputes annually.

Source: HMCTS Civil Justice Statistics, 2024

£100,000

Multi-track threshold

Claims above £100,000 in value are generally allocated to the multi-track in the Business and Property Courts; intermediate track covers claims between £25,000 and £100,000.

Source: Civil Procedure Rules, Part 26

PD 57AC

Trial witness statements

Practice Direction 57AC governs trial witness statements in the Business and Property Courts, requiring witness compliance and solicitor certification.

Source: Civil Procedure Rules, Practice Direction 57AC

Built for Commercial Disputes

Features for business litigation

Business Disputes

Templates for contract disputes, shareholder claims, and partnership dissolution.

Financial Claims

Debt recovery, account disputes, and damages calculations with schedules.

CPR-Aligned

Bundles structured to Civil Procedure Rules requirements. Core bundle format.

PD 57AC Statements

Witness statement sections compliant with Practice Direction 57AC requirements.

Multi-Track Ready

Templates for CMC, PTR, and trial. Manage complex case timetables.

Urgent Applications

Injunction and freezing order bundles. Without notice application format.

Understanding Commercial Litigation Bundles

Everything about business dispute bundles

Commercial Litigation in England and Wales

Commercial litigation covers disputes between businesses, including contract claims, debt recovery, partnership disputes, and company matters. Cases are heard in the County Court (under £100,000), High Court (Queen's Bench Division), or the specialist Business & Property Courts.

The Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) govern all commercial proceedings. Pre-action protocols require parties to exchange information and explore settlement before issuing proceedings.

The Business & Property Courts

The Business & Property Courts (B&PC) are specialist courts handling complex commercial disputes. They include the Commercial Court, Technology & Construction Court (TCC), Insolvency & Companies Court, and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC).

Cases in the B&PC often involve significant documentation and expert evidence. Proper bundle preparation is essential for effective case management.

What Goes in a Commercial Litigation Bundle?

Commercial litigation bundles must comply with CPR Practice Direction 39A (and PD 57AC for trial witness statements). Core bundles should contain only documents likely to be referred to in the hearing.

  • Statements of case (claim, defence, reply)
  • Case management orders and directions
  • Witness statements (compliant with PD 57AC)
  • Expert reports (if permission granted)
  • Contracts and key correspondence
  • Documentary evidence chronologically ordered
  • Skeleton arguments
  • Authorities bundle (separately paginated)

Claim-Specific Templates

Templates for every type of commercial dispute

Contract Dispute

Breach of contract claims with damages schedule

Debt Recovery

Outstanding payment claims with interest calculations

Partnership Dispute

Dissolution, accounts, and distribution

Shareholder Dispute

Unfair prejudice and derivative claims

Injunction Application

Interim relief with undertakings

Multi-Track Trial Bundle

Full trial bundle with core bundle extract

Manual Bundling vs Commercial Litigation Bundle Creator

See how BundleCreator streamlines commercial dispute bundle preparation for the Business & Property Courts

FeatureManual BundlingBundleCreator
PD27A format checks
Automatic pagination
Index generation
Time to prepare bundle
4-8 hours
30-60 mins
PDF compression
Secure document storage
Template guidance
Error reduction
CPR compliance checking
Automatic consecutive pagination
Multi-volume bundle support
Skeleton argument formatting
Chronology generation
Time to prepare
4+ hours
Under 30 mins
Court filing format (text-based, embedded fonts)
Trial bundle indexing

Commercial Litigation Bundle FAQs

Common questions about business dispute bundles

BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template follows the Business and Property Courts' standard order: claim form and particulars, defence and counterclaim, replies, witness statements (PD 57AC compliance documents at the front), expert evidence (CPR Part 35), disclosure (PD 57AD list of documents), and authorities. The output is a paginated PDF with hyperlinked index, OCR throughout, and section bookmarks ready for upload to the Rolls Building's electronic filing system.

PD 57AC requires trial witness statements in Business and Property Courts proceedings to comply with strict rules: only matters within the witness's own knowledge, no argument, no contested expert opinion, with a statement of compliance and a confirmation by the witness that they have read PD 57AC. BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template includes a PD 57AC checklist slot at the front of each witness statement and orders statements with their statement of compliance and the legal representative's certificate of compliance in the bundle, so the trial judge can verify compliance at a glance.

PD 57AD (the Business and Property Courts disclosure regime, made permanent on 1 October 2022 after the pilot period) requires a Disclosure Review Document, a List of Issues for Disclosure, and disclosure in one of five Models (A-E). BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template has dedicated sections for the DRD, List of Issues, the Model selection rationale, and the disclosed documents themselves — paginated continuously and OCR'd so the trial judge and counsel can keyword-search the disclosure pack.

A trial bundle for a Business and Property Courts case typically opens with: List of Issues for trial (agreed where possible), claimant's skeleton argument, defendant's skeleton argument, then the substantive bundle (pleadings, witness statements, expert evidence, disclosure, authorities). BundleCreator's template orders these automatically with hyperlinks from the List of Issues to the underlying evidence on each issue, which is the format senior commercial counsel expect at the Rolls Building.

BundleCreator's Pro tier is £39.99 a month, handling 40 bundles per month with no per-bundle fee, no minimum seat count, and monthly billing. It produces Business and Property Courts-grade output (continuous pagination, OCR, bookmarks, hyperlinked index, PD 57AC and PD 57AD section structures) without enterprise pricing. The Platinum tier (£79.99) handles 100 bundles a month for high-volume mid-market firms.

BundleCreator runs entirely on Google Cloud's London region (europe-west2) — primary storage, backups, and processing all in the UK. AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit. Commercial-sensitive disclosure, board minutes, audit reports, and inter-party correspondence stay within UK borders, removing UK GDPR Article 44 transfer concerns and aligning with the solicitors' professional duty of confidentiality.

BundleCreator handles trial bundles up to 1,000 pages per bundle. For a structured Business and Property Courts pack — pleadings, witness statements with PD 57AC compliance documents, expert reports with joint statements, PD 57AD disclosure, and authorities — expect typically 30-60 minutes from upload to download. The bundle is paginated continuously, OCR'd throughout, and bookmarked at section and document level. Beats a 1-2 week manual assembly.

ICC arbitration hearings are run under the ICC Rules and the procedural orders of the Tribunal — there's no single prescribed bundle format like CPR Part 32 in court. BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template adapts: parties' submissions, witness statements, expert reports, exhibits referenced by tab, hyperlinked index, OCR throughout, and bookmarks at submission/exhibit level. Output as one PDF for upload to the ICC online platform or as separate sub-bundles where the procedural order requires.

BundleCreator's Pro and Platinum tiers work well for chambers — £39.99/month for 40 bundles or £79.99/month for 100 bundles, with no per-seat minimum. Individual barristers and chambers' clerks can produce a Business and Property Courts trial bundle in typically 30-60 minutes. The output integrates with barristers' typical workflow: download the PDF, mark up in their preferred annotation tool, share with instructing solicitors via secure link.

Still have questions? Contact our team

BundleCreator helps you prepare and organise documents for court and tribunal hearings. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. Wherever you can, please get advice from a qualified legal adviser before your hearing. Read more

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bundle template for the Business and Property Courts?

BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template follows the Business and Property Courts' standard order: claim form and particulars, defence and counterclaim, replies, witness statements (PD 57AC compliance documents at the front), expert evidence (CPR Part 35), disclosure (PD 57AD list of documents), and authorities. The output is a paginated PDF with hyperlinked index, OCR throughout, and section bookmarks ready for upload to the Rolls Building's electronic filing system.

How do I prepare a PD 57AC-aligned trial witness statement bundle?

PD 57AC requires trial witness statements in Business and Property Courts proceedings to comply with strict rules: only matters within the witness's own knowledge, no argument, no contested expert opinion, with a statement of compliance and a confirmation by the witness that they have read PD 57AC. BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template includes a PD 57AC checklist slot at the front of each witness statement and orders statements with their statement of compliance and the legal representative's certificate of compliance in the bundle, so the trial judge can verify compliance at a glance.

How do I bundle a PD 57AD electronic disclosure list of documents?

PD 57AD (the Business and Property Courts disclosure regime, made permanent on 1 October 2022 after the pilot period) requires a Disclosure Review Document, a List of Issues for Disclosure, and disclosure in one of five Models (A-E). BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template has dedicated sections for the DRD, List of Issues, the Model selection rationale, and the disclosed documents themselves — paginated continuously and OCR'd so the trial judge and counsel can keyword-search the disclosure pack.

Is there a list of issues skeleton argument bundle template — what's the right order?

A trial bundle for a Business and Property Courts case typically opens with: List of Issues for trial (agreed where possible), claimant's skeleton argument, defendant's skeleton argument, then the substantive bundle (pleadings, witness statements, expert evidence, disclosure, authorities). BundleCreator's template orders these automatically with hyperlinks from the List of Issues to the underlying evidence on each issue, which is the format senior commercial counsel expect at the Rolls Building.

Is there a mid-market commercial litigation bundle tool that's not enterprise-priced?

BundleCreator's Pro tier is £39.99 a month, handling 40 bundles per month with no per-bundle fee, no minimum seat count, and monthly billing. It produces Business and Property Courts-grade output (continuous pagination, OCR, bookmarks, hyperlinked index, PD 57AC and PD 57AD section structures) without enterprise pricing. The Platinum tier (£79.99) handles 100 bundles a month for high-volume mid-market firms.

Is there a UK-hosted commercial litigation bundle tool for confidential client info?

BundleCreator runs entirely on Google Cloud's London region (europe-west2) — primary storage, backups, and processing all in the UK. AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit. Commercial-sensitive disclosure, board minutes, audit reports, and inter-party correspondence stay within UK borders, removing UK GDPR Article 44 transfer concerns and aligning with the solicitors' professional duty of confidentiality.

How fast can I prepare a large commercial trial bundle for a deadline 7 days away?

BundleCreator handles trial bundles up to 1,000 pages per bundle. For a structured Business and Property Courts pack — pleadings, witness statements with PD 57AC compliance documents, expert reports with joint statements, PD 57AD disclosure, and authorities — expect typically 30-60 minutes from upload to download. The bundle is paginated continuously, OCR'd throughout, and bookmarked at section and document level. Beats a 1-2 week manual assembly.

What's the right bundle tool for ICC arbitration hearing preparation?

ICC arbitration hearings are run under the ICC Rules and the procedural orders of the Tribunal — there's no single prescribed bundle format like CPR Part 32 in court. BundleCreator's Commercial Litigation template adapts: parties' submissions, witness statements, expert reports, exhibits referenced by tab, hyperlinked index, OCR throughout, and bookmarks at submission/exhibit level. Output as one PDF for upload to the ICC online platform or as separate sub-bundles where the procedural order requires.

Is there a bundle tool for barrister commercial chambers — chambers pricing?

BundleCreator's Pro and Platinum tiers work well for chambers — £39.99/month for 40 bundles or £79.99/month for 100 bundles, with no per-seat minimum. Individual barristers and chambers' clerks can produce a Business and Property Courts trial bundle in typically 30-60 minutes. The output integrates with barristers' typical workflow: download the PDF, mark up in their preferred annotation tool, share with instructing solicitors via secure link.

Built by Stevie Hayes, a Governance, Risk and Compliance specialist who spent five years in the UK Family Court system. Published October 2025 · Last updated 26 April 2026.

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