What is a court bundle?

If you have a hearing coming up in a civil or family court, you will almost certainly need a court bundle. But what exactly is one, and why does it matter?

The basics

A court bundle is a single, organised collection of all the documents that the judge and the other parties will need to refer to during a hearing. Instead of loose papers or scattered emails, everything is compiled into one paginated, indexed document.

The bundle typically includes:

• Applications and orders — the forms that started the proceedings and any orders the court has already made
• Statements and position statements — your written evidence and the other side's
• Correspondence — key letters or emails between the parties or with the court
• Supporting evidence — financial documents, photographs, expert reports, or anything else the court needs to see

Why it matters

Judges read bundles before hearings. A well-prepared bundle helps the judge understand your case quickly and find relevant documents during the hearing. A poorly prepared bundle — with missing pages, no index, or inconsistent numbering — makes a bad impression and wastes court time.

For litigants in person (people representing themselves without a solicitor), preparing a bundle can be one of the most daunting parts of the process. The rules are not always obvious, and getting it wrong can mean documents are overlooked.

Practice Direction 27A

In family proceedings, Practice Direction 27A sets out how bundles should be prepared. Key requirements include:

• Pagination — every page must be numbered consecutively
• Index — the bundle must have a table of contents listing each document and its page number
• Chronological order — documents should generally be in date order within each section
• No duplicates — only include one copy of each document
• Filed on time — bundles must usually be filed with the court and served on the other parties by a set deadline (often 7 days before the hearing)

Civil proceedings follow similar principles under the relevant practice directions for the type of case.

How CaseFile helps

CaseFile takes the stress out of bundle preparation. You upload your documents, tell us about your case, and we produce a professionally formatted, paginated bundle with a hyperlinked table of contents — ready to file with the court.

We follow standard bundle practice for civil and family courts in England and Wales, and the Isle of Man. If your court has specific requirements, let us know and we will format your bundle accordingly.