Case management orders

In most routine cases, the next step is for the tribunal judge to send the parties a list of the steps that must be followed by a specific date to prepare for the hearing, known as a case management order. Typical directions include:

• document preparation and disclosure: both parties must list the relevant documents they hold, provide copies to the other party, and prepare an agreed, indexed and page-numbered “bundle” (that is, a photocopy set of all relevant documents). The bundle is the documentary evidence that will be in front of the tribunal at the hearing;

• both parties must prepare and exchange witness statements; and

• the parties must attend a hearing for the claim to be decided.

If non-standard orders or instructions are needed, there will be a case management hearing. This will be in private. In normal times, the hearing can be in person or over the phone. For the position during the Coronavirus pandemic, see the box at the start of this Chapter.