Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Litigant in person definition

What does Litigant in person mean? A litigant in person is a party—individual or organisation—who conducts court or tribunal proceedings without a solicitor or barrister/advocate. Often called a self‑represented or unrepresented party, they draft and file pleadings, serve documents, make submissions, and examine witnesses, while remaining subject to the same procedural rules, timetables and costs sanctions as represented parties. They may receive quiet assistance from a McKenzie Friend, who normally has no right of audience or to conduct litigation. The expression is used across civil, family and tribunal contexts. In England and Wales, “litigant in person” is defined for costs purposes in CPR 46.5 (reflected in...

Quantifying litigant in person costs: two-thirds cap, proving financial loss, time spent and hourly rates under CPR 46.5 (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

Quantification of Costs claimable by Litigants in Person (LiPs)

This Practice Note outlines the provisions and authorities governing assessment of costs recoverable by litigants in person. It covers the two-thirds rule for compensating proved losses, what a LiP must establish to obtain more than the fixed LiP hourly rate (ie proof of financial loss), and how claimed time will be evaluated, including decisions in which the court has addressed quantifying financial loss in LiP matters. It also considers the alternative time measure, namely time spent, and the hourly rates that apply on this basis.

Under CPR 46.5(4), costs are calculated either by reference to:

proved financial loss, or
the amount for the time reasonably spent doing the work at a fixed rate, currently £24 per hour (CPR PD 46, para 3.4)

Note that, before 1 October 2025, the rate was £19 per hour. The £24 per hour rate applies to time reasonably spent on work carried out on or after 1 October 2025...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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