Running your own employment tribunal? Don't lose it on procedure.
You have decided to run your own tribunal case. The other side has a solicitor, a barrister, and a budget. You have this guide.
Most litigants in person lose on the process, not the merits. A missed deadline. The wrong document. Something said in a preliminary hearing that quietly kills the case before it reaches trial. The system assumes you know the rules, and it will not stop to explain them.
Written by a qualified solicitor with 23 years of employment law experience. England and Wales. General educational information, not individual legal advice.
What you get inside.
A complete walkthrough of the tribunal process from the moment you file your ET1 to the day of your final hearing. Procedure, strategy, and the ready-to-use templates that keep your case moving.
Section-by-section process map.
Every step from ET1 to final hearing, what happens at each one, and what you need to do. Read the section that matches your current stage.
Reading the ET3 response.
How to interpret the employer's defence, spot the weak points, and decide where to focus your case before the next deadline lands.
Preliminary hearing strategy.
What the tribunal is actually deciding, what to ask for, and the language that protects your position when the case is being narrowed.
Disclosure and bundles.
Document disclosure procedure, evidence bundle organisation, and the indexing structure tribunals expect.
Witness statement structure.
How to write your own statement so it holds up, and how to handle witnesses who can support your case.
Final hearing and cross-examination.
What happens on the day, how to handle being cross-examined yourself, and how to question the employer's witnesses.
The full table of contents.
What's covered.
- From ET1 to final hearing. The full process map.
- How to interpret the employer's response (ET3).
- Case management hearings. What's being decided and how to prepare.
- Preliminary hearing strategy. Issues, time estimates, listing.
- Document disclosure. What to ask for, what to give, the rules.
- Composing your witness statement. Structure, tone, evidence.
- Evidence bundle organisation and indexing.
- Settlement negotiation. When to consider, how to approach.
- Final hearing procedure. What to expect on the day.
- Cross-examination. Being questioned and questioning witnesses.
- Ready-to-use templates. Extension requests, bundle index, pre-hearing checklists.
- Time limits and procedural pitfalls. The deadlines you cannot miss.
The honest comparison.
If you're going to spend money getting this right, here's the picture. A solicitor will charge £500 + VAT for an initial consultation. Then £300+ per hour to actually run the case. This guide is the insider walkthrough, broken down section by section, so you can run your own claim end to end.
Who this is for.
If any of this is where you are right now, this is the guide for you.
- You've filed your ET1 and the case is moving, but you don't know what's next.
- You can't afford a solicitor to run the case for you, but you need to do it properly.
- You've got a case management hearing or preliminary hearing scheduled and you don't know what to ask for.
- You've been told to prepare a witness statement and a bundle and you have no template to work from.
- You're worried that one missed deadline or one wrong word will end your claim.
- You want the same process knowledge a solicitor would walk you through, in one document, yours to keep.
Get the guide.
One-off purchase, £129. Instant PDF download. The complete tribunal walkthrough, templates included.
Get the guide. £129Common questions.
Is this legal advice for my specific case?
No. This is general educational information for England and Wales. It's the process framework that helps you run your own tribunal claim properly. Every case is different. For complex cases, consider booking a one-off consultation with a qualified employment solicitor.
Does this help me draft my ET1?
No. ET1 drafting is covered in a separate guide, the ET1 Mastery Guide. This guide picks up after you've filed and runs through everything from receiving the ET3 to the final hearing.
How is this delivered?
Instant download as a PDF after purchase. About 2MB. Files won't open? I'll fix it or refund you.
Does this cover Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. England and Wales only. The procedural rules, ACAS Code references, and time limits are for England and Wales.
Can I get a refund if I don't find it useful?
Digital guides are non-refundable once downloaded. The full table of contents above shows exactly what's inside. If you have a question before buying, contact info@thesecretlawyer.co.uk.