How to sue someone

In this section we look at how you take things like compensation, personal injury, unpaid debts, broken contracts, or consumer problems to the small claims court or the county court. We show you how to resolve the dispute outside court, as well as how to work out whether taking someone to court will be worth it. 

We know that if you cannot get legal aid and cannot afford the help of a solicitor, going to the civil court can be very stressful and difficult. We have written these guides because we want to help you as much as we can. 

We show you how to navigate the pre-court protocols in the civil court, how to complete the correct forms and how to use the new online civil court systems, as well as how to make your case well, prepare for court hearings and how to do things like witness statements and expert reports. These guides are useful if you want to sue someone and if you are the person being sued.

We also highlight where you may be able to get further support and advice if you are taking someone to court, if you might be entitled to help with the civil court fee, and have collected together the best information from other organisations about taking  issues to the civil court in England and Wales.