You're the applicant in financial remedy proceedings — unrepresented. The respondent has a solicitor. Under PD27A, the applicant is responsible for preparing the bundle, but the respondent's solicitor has offered to do it instead. Do you let them prepare it and risk losing control over what's included, or do you insist on doing it yourself despite having no experience?
This content reflects observational insights and lived community experiences. It does not constitute legal advice — always consult a qualified professional for your specific circumstances.
Keep control. If they build the bundle, they decide what's included, how it's paginated, and what gets buried. That feels like handing the other side a tactical advantage on a plate. Better to do it yourself so nothing gets excluded.
PD27A places responsibility on the applicant, but where the applicant is unrepresented and the respondent is represented, the respondent's solicitor will typically prepare the bundle in practice. Both parties are required to agree the contents before it is lodged. The bundle must contain only what the judge needs for that hearing — not everything ever filed. But here's the tension: responsibility for preparation and control over content are not the same thing. You retain the right to review, object, and insist on additions or removals regardless of who physically assembles it.
So where do you stand? Let them prepare it and you lose direct control over organisation — but you gain a professionally formatted, court-compliant bundle and can focus your energy on the substance of your case. Do it yourself and you keep hands-on control — but risk a non-compliant bundle being rejected, and spend hours on pagination instead of case strategy. The real question isn't who builds it — it's whether you understand the difference between preparing the bundle and agreeing its contents. What would you do?
Walk the client through PD27A so they understand the distinction between preparing the bundle and agreeing its contents. Help them draft a clear list of what they want included and why. Reassure them that letting the other side prepare the bundle is common practice when one party is represented and the other is not — what matters is that they review it thoroughly before it's lodged.
Navigating court alone?
A McKenzie Friend can help you make sense of this in the context of your own case.
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