#Witness statement how to#
#Witness statement trial#
#Witness statement series#

Ī witness statement needs to be laid out in a particular way to be used in court.

#Witness statement how to#

There are rules about what a witness statement has to have in it.įor our guidance on what to include, and how to layout the witness statement, buy our extended guide. If you want to talk about it, put it in the statement. You will not be allowed to talk about anything new or additional. The contents of a witness statementĪt the trial, you and your witnesses will normally only be able to talk about what you have covered in your witness statements. If you have to do witness statements, you should prepare them fairly early on in your case, because the overall time you have to prepare your case will disappear and before you know it you’ll be at trial. In a fast track claim, the court will expect you to prepare a formal witness statement. Having a witness statement can also help if witnesses later forget what happened. Although the judge might allow your case to go ahead without witness statements, it is better to get witness statements prepared if you can. If you have a small claim, the judge may decide not to order you or the defendant to prepare a witness statement if you are both litigants in person, and if the issues are very simple and of low value – for example, if you claim that you lent your neighbour £100 and want it back, and he says it was a gift because he was on hard times. These witnesses are called witnesses of fact because they can help prove the facts of the case.

#Witness statement trial#

If you want anybody else to give evidence to the judge at the trial about what they saw or heard, you must prepare a witness statement for them as well. Generally, all claimants and defendants have to prepare a witness statement. We try to explain any legal language as we go along, but there is also a ‘ What does it mean?’ section at the end. a tribunal case (such as a discrimination or employment case).a case involving defamation (libel or slander) or.an injunction (including court claims about anti-social behaviour).a housing disrepair or housing possession case including mortgage possession,.

a family case (such as an application for a domestic violence injunction or a divorce),.This guide is not for you if you are involved in: This guide is also for people supporting litigants in person, for example Support Through Court volunteers, Citizens’ Advice volunteers, housing support workers, advice workers and court staff, as well as relatives and friends. you are representing yourself (you are a litigant in person) and not eligible to have your case paid for by legal aid, a trade union, or insurance.your case involves a claim for £25,000 or less, and.are involved in a civil claim in either England or Wales, and.Top tip – Have a look at Suing in the civil court – an overview of the process to get an overview of what a typical case might look like and How a claim is dealt with – summary table.

#Witness statement series#

The rest of this series can be found on our Going to a civil court page.