Key Moments
What This Video Covers
BundleCreator is a presentation tool, not legal advice. This 2-minute walkthrough sets out eight situations where the right step is to pause and speak to a solicitor or barrister — and where to find legal advice including legal aid, Law Centres, LawWorks, Advocate (the Bar's pro bono unit), and the Law Society's Find a Solicitor. The list is not exhaustive: these are common moments, not the only ones. Litigation-expert-reviewed.
Full Transcript
BundleCreator is a presentation tool. It organises documents to PD27A and other procedural standards. It is not legal advice. There are moments when the right step is to pause and get legal advice from a solicitor or barrister before going further. This short walkthrough covers those moments.
Stop and seek legal advice if any of these apply. The list is not exhaustive. These are common moments, not the only ones.
Example one — you have been served with a court order and you are not sure what it requires. Example two — your matter has just become contested when it was not before. Example three — the other side has sent you something marked 'without prejudice' or 'subject to contract' and you are not certain what those phrases mean. Example four — you have received a position statement or a skeleton argument from a barrister and you need to respond to it. Example five — you have been served with a witness summons. Example six — a safeguarding or child-welfare concern has been raised by CAFCASS, social services, or the court. Example seven — you are in care proceedings, or care proceedings have just been issued in respect of your child. Example eight — you are applying for, or responding to, a non-molestation order or an occupation order under the Family Law Act 1996. If any of these situations is urgent — a hearing within days, or a without-notice order — seek legal advice the same day.
Help is available, often without a fee, in many of these situations. Legal aid for non-molestation and occupation orders, and for parents in care proceedings, is available subject to a means and merits assessment — and for many applicants the means test does not apply. Check eligibility at gov.uk/check-legal-aid. Law Centres offer free legal advice — find your nearest at lawcentres.org.uk. LawWorks at lawworks.org.uk runs pro bono clinics across England and Wales. Advocate, the Bar's pro bono unit, at weareadvocate.org.uk, can match you with a barrister for free. The Law Society's Find a Solicitor tool, at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, lets you search by area of law.
BundleCreator handles the presentation. The strategy and the words stay with you and your legal representative. If you are working with a McKenzie Friend, see our short guide on what a McKenzie Friend can do — their role is supportive, not advisory.