A litigant in person is someone who speaks for himself at a court hearing because they do not have a solicitor or barrister to represent them. It has always been possible for a person to represent himself and the courts have tried to remove barriers which may make it difficult to do this - but a court hearing often requires specialist skills to ensure that the preparation and delivery of the case give a person the best chance of success.
In April 2013, civil legal aid, that is state funding for legal costs, was slashed and the House of Common's Justice Committee is looking into the impact of these cuts on family cases. Recently representatives of family lawyers gave evidence to the Committee and said that llitigants in person are not getting fair hearings.
Whilst it can seem difficult to fund your own legal advice in such matters, in the long run it could be money well spent because a specialist family lawyer can focus on the key issues at an early stage and can try to ensure that a person is properly and fairly represented in any court proceedings relating to their case,
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