Learn how to identify the correct defendant in a small claim or fast-track case. A practical guide for litigants in person, covering common mistakes and key steps to naming the right defendant for a civil court case. The information in this guide applies to England and Wales.

Before you start a court case, it's vital to check if they can actually pay you if you win. Suing someone with no money, assets, or insurance can be a waste of time and money. This guide provides a simple checklist of free and low-cost things you can do to find out if the person or company you plan to take to court will be able to pay you if you win. The information in this guide applies to England and Wales.

If you are thinking about or have started taking a claim for compensation for ‘whiplash’ or other injuries caused in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault, you need to read this. This guide will help you to understand how to claim for compensation and show you how to use the online Official Injury Claim system to negotiate with the other drivers' insurer about what amount of compensation you are due, without having to go to court. It also explains how you start a claim to go to court if you need to. Some people call this a whiplash claim, or a car accident injury claim. The

You may be able to get help with court fees or not have to pay a fee at all, if you are on a low income or get certain welfare benefits. This is called being 'exempt' from paying court fees. Here, we explain what help is available and how to apply. This information applies to England and Wales.

This overview of the process of taking someone to court is designed to give you an overall picture of what is involved in a typical county court case, either for a small claim that is not using the online money claim service or a fast track claim. It will not help you decide what to do in your case because your case will be different. But it may make the process seem a bit less daunting and help you keep track of where you are. It is part of a series of guides that explains how you can take someone to the small claims court or use the fast track of a county court to sort out a disagreement

Understand how to appeal against a decision made by a judge in a county court (also called a county court judgement, or CCJ). This guide is part of a series of guides about sorting out a dispute using the civil court. This guide is about the law in England and Wales.

Understand your options if the civil court has ordered that someone else must pay you money but they have not paid you when they should. This kind of order is often known as a county court judgment or ‘CCJ’. Sometimes the money owed is called a ‘judgment debt’. You can take fresh court action to try and make the other person pay. Lawyers call this ‘enforcement’. This guide will help you work out if you can enforce your county court judgment, if it is worth enforcing, and how to go about enforcing it, if you decide that is what you want to do. This guide is about the law in England and Wales.

Understand the fees solicitors charge for their work and who pays them at the end of the case. Even if you don’t have a solicitor to help you, you may have to pay for the other side’s solicitor if you lose your case. If they win their case, litigants in person can ask the loser to pay for the time they have spent preparing the case. This guide explains those rules, and how to keep your legal costs to a minimum. It also explains the rules about who pays for the other court costs and expenses in a civil case. This guide explains legal costs in small claims and fast track cases only. The rules

This table is part of a series of guides about how to take someone to a civil court to sort out a dispute, and is designed to be used alongside the other guides. It provides a quick and useful way of checking your understanding and what you need to do and what to expect for small claims, fast track claims, breach of contract, debt, loss or damage which is someone else’s fault (negligence) with no personal injury, and personal injury (including road traffic accidents and accidents at work). This information is about the law in England and Wales.

Don't be put off by the court process. Our expert guide empowers you to start your small claim (up to £10k) or fast track case (£10k–£25k), save fees, and win. The information in this guide applies to England and Wales.