[Solved] Self-Representation of a potentially complex case

I'm pretty sure a police reference number with a little detail should be sufficient. You could prepare a brief position statement to give a little background, although you can't attach any evidence to it, you can mention what you have, and say that you have it with you if the court wishes to see it.

Police References I do have and yes I think it will be beneficial if I create a position statement.

Thanks.

Hi Everybody,

Just thought I'd provide an update.

I have now received confirmation from the courts with a hearing date for mid-October.

I am going to gather all the information I might need to support my case but wanted to see if anybody that's been through this already has any pointers/tips.

Your first position statement should be a very brief outline of why you're making the application and what you would like the court to do.

You don't have permission at this stage to submit evidence, but you can mention in your statement that you have evidence should it be required at the hearing or to submit with a full statement which the court should order.

Cafcass will be in touch shortly and you will have a phone interview with them as will the mother. A safeguarding letter with recommendations to the court will follow.

If you go down the McKenzie Friend route, get someone recommended. It's an unregulated industry, and as such, there are good and bad ones, but you have no protection. It's also important to understand the role of an MF compared to that of a solicitor or barrister.

I would say at this stage, you will be perfectly capable of starting the proceedings as a litigant in person.

Thank you for your response Yoda.

At the end of my statement I have called out the following:

I am looking to become the primary carer of my daughter while allowing the respondent to have unsupervised contact. However, if it is deemed that this won’t be possible I would like to reinstate unsupervised contact with my daughter.

I'm a little unsure about the last sentence because I don't want it to come across to the judge that I would be happy with this because ultimately I would like the prime care of my child.

Would it be better if I took this out?

Thanks for any advice.

It would probably be better just to say something like, if the court finds favour with my application I will do all I can to encourage regular contact with xxxxx. I believe that both parents should be as involved as possible in their childs life.

Sometimes it’s better to drop the legal speak and be a little less formal, call the mother by her name, if you’re not comfortable with first names then Miss/Mrs xxxx is perfectly acceptable.