Practical guidance on witness statements for interim applications: when they are needed, who should give them, drafting essentials, exhibits, and evidence in opposition and reply (England and Wales)
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Practice notes
This Practice Note offers guidance on preparing witness statements for use in interim applications. It explains when a witness statement is needed to support an application and the elements such a statement should properly include. It also addresses witness statements resisting an application and witness statements served in reply.
Do I need a witness statement in support of this application?
Not every application requires a supporting witness statement in practice at all. It is sensible indeed to ask whether it is necessary to produce a witness statement each time you prepare an application. To determine whether one is required, you must understand the function of a witness statement within an application and the situations in which witness statements will genuinely assist an application.
What is the purpose of a witness statement in an application?
In an interim application, a witness statement supplies clear factual evidence on which the court is invited to decide the application. The evidence set out in the witness statement(s) for an application supplements any factual assertions already contained within the statements of case and/or the relevant application notice—applicants may rely on these provided they are verified by a statement of truth (CPR 32.6(2)). When is it...
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Web page updated on 21/05/2026
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