Wright v Michael Wright
Litigants in person and the court's encouragement
for mediation
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2013/234.html
This case involved an appeal from a first instance decision on
the basis of alleged procedural impropriety. Sir Alan Ward took the
opportunity to make two general points though:
(1) The courts are facing increasing difficulties in dealing
with litigants in person. Judges must try to "bring order to
the chaos which litigants in person invariably - and wholly
understandably - manage to create", without having to
"micro-manage cases, coaxing and cajoling the parties to focus
on the issues that need to be resolved". He commented that:
"It may be saving the Legal Services Commission which no
longer offers legal aid for this kind of litigation but saving
expenditure in one public department in this instance simply
increases it in the courts".
