Claim Analysis
Break a Letter of Claim, defence, particulars, expert report or other case document into the individual allegations and issues which need to be addressed.
← Professional & Business Claims Defence
LIP Service
Managing Your Own Case? You Don’t Have to Prepare It Alone.
If you are defending a substantial civil claim without a traditional solicitor-led litigation team, the volume of documents, deadlines, evidence and procedural preparation can quickly become overwhelming.
Our LIP Service provides practical, fixed-fee case preparation and litigation support to help you understand the claim, organise the evidence, build the chronology and prepare the case for the next stage — including specialist Direct Access barrister input where appropriate.
30+ Years’ Litigation Experience
Defined Work & Fixed Fees
Practical Case Preparation
Direct Access Barrister Support
What Is the LIP Service?
You remain responsible for your case. We help you make it manageable.
Running a civil case involves far more than having an argument. There may be years of emails, contracts, reports, expert material, insurance correspondence and procedural documents to understand.
The LIP Service is designed to provide structured practical support around that workload so the important evidence and issues do not become buried inside the file.
You can conduct your own case without preparing every part of it alone.
Use litigation support for the factual and organisational work. Use specialist lawyers for the legal work that requires specialist legal expertise. And keep the responsibilities of each person involved clearly defined.
Practical Litigation Support
Where the LIP Service can take pressure out of the case.
The scope can be tailored to the particular dispute and stage reached. The purpose is to organise the case and prepare the material — not to blur the distinction between practical litigation support and reserved legal activities.
Chronology Preparation
Turn months or years of events into a clear sequence showing what happened, when it happened and which documents support each important event.
Evidence Organisation
Organise correspondence, contracts, professional records, reports, photographs, insurance documents and other evidence into a usable case file.
Issues & Evidence Schedules
Map the important allegations against the available evidence, the response to each point and any gaps which may need further attention.
Hearing Preparation
Practical preparation of chronologies, document indexes, hearing materials and other non-reserved case organisation within the scope agreed.
Barrister-Ready Preparation
Prepare an organised factual file and focused questions so specialist counsel can spend more time advising on the legal issues and less time reconstructing the raw documents.
Keep the Responsibilities Clear
Litigation support does not transfer conduct of the litigation to IDS.
Where you are acting as a Litigant in Person and no appropriately authorised professional has taken responsibility for conducting the litigation, you remain responsible for the case and the procedural obligations which fall upon you.
IDS can support the preparation and organisation of the case, but we do not present the LIP Service as conducting reserved litigation on your behalf.
Court and procedural deadlines
Responsibility remains with the party or appropriately
authorised representative dealing with the litigation.
Filing and service
Who is responsible should be identified clearly rather than
assumed.
Legal advice
Specialist legal advice can be obtained from an appropriately
instructed lawyer or Direct Access barrister.
Case preparation
IDS can provide defined factual, evidential and organisational
support within the agreed service.
Reserved legal activities
These must be undertaken by someone with the appropriate
authorisation where required.
From Raw File to Working Case
The problem is often not lack of documents. It is lack of structure.
Clients frequently arrive with hundreds or thousands of pages. Some documents are critical. Some merely repeat what is already known. Others contain one sentence capable of changing the way an allegation should be understood.
The objective is not to create more paperwork.
It is to make the existing evidence usable.
01
Identify what is actually being alleged
Separate broad accusations into the individual factual, professional, contractual and financial issues that need an answer.
02
Build the chronology
Place the important events in order and connect those events to the documents which evidence them.
03
Find the evidential pressure points
Identify documents which support the case, documents which create difficulty and factual questions which remain unresolved.
04
Separate evidence from argument
Establish what the documents actually prove before deciding what conclusions should be drawn from them.
05
Prepare for the next decision
The next step may be a response, expert instruction, negotiation, mediation, counsel conference, application or hearing.
Case Organisation
Know where the evidence is before you need it.
Poor document organisation wastes time and makes important points harder to see. A coherent case file should make it possible to move from an allegation to the relevant evidence quickly.
The exact documents required depend upon the case, but the principle remains the same: create one reliable structure rather than several competing folders and versions.
Master chronology
One reliable timeline of the significant events.
Core documents
The contracts, letters, emails, reports and records central to
the dispute.
Issues schedule
The allegations, responses and supporting material mapped
together.
Document index
A usable system for locating important evidence.
Expert material
Technical reports and questions organised around the issues
they address.
Hearing material
Practical preparation of the relevant papers within the scope
of the support agreed.
When the LIP Service Can Work Well
For the right case, separating preparation from specialist legal work can make sense.
The LIP Service is particularly relevant where the client is capable of remaining actively involved in the case but needs experienced support to organise the work properly.
The case involves a large volume of documents
The client needs help identifying what matters and turning the file into a coherent evidential structure.
The client understands the underlying events
They have detailed factual knowledge but need assistance converting that knowledge into a usable case.
Specialist legal input is required only at defined stages
The case may benefit from counsel on merits, drafting, strategy, an application, mediation or a hearing without every task being undertaken by specialist lawyers.
The client wants greater visibility over cost
Defined stages make it easier to understand what preparation is being undertaken and what separate professional costs may arise.
The client wants to remain closely involved
The service is designed around active participation rather than handing the entire case to somebody else.
Know When the Structure Needs to Change
Litigation support is not a substitute for every type of legal representation.
There will be cases where the complexity, urgency or procedural requirements mean that an appropriately authorised solicitor, barrister authorised to conduct litigation or another authorised provider should take responsibility for work which falls outside the LIP Service.
Urgent procedural action requires an authorised professional.
The client cannot reasonably manage the responsibilities which
would remain with them.
The litigation requires intensive day-to-day legal conduct
beyond practical case preparation.
A reserved legal activity needs to be undertaken on the
client’s behalf.
The court, barrister or circumstances indicate that a different
professional structure is appropriate.
Claims Defence
The LIP Service can sit alongside the wider Claims Defence service.
The preparation required will depend on the type of claim, profession involved, insurance position and procedural stage.
Professional Negligence Claims
Case preparation where breach, causation and alleged professional loss are in dispute.
Professional negligence →Received a Letter of Claim
Early organisation of the allegations, evidence and response position before matters become more difficult.
Letter of Claim →Professional Indemnity Problems
Support where the underlying liability dispute is accompanied by questions about PI cover.
PI insurance →Accountants & Tax Advisers
Claims involving tax, reporting, transactions and other professional-accountancy issues.
Accountancy claims →Surveyors & Valuers
Valuation, surveying and property-related professional negligence disputes.
Surveying claims →Construction Professionals
Claims involving architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and other construction consultants.
Construction claims →How the LIP Service Works
Four clear stages.
The exact scope will depend on the case, but the underlying method is straightforward: understand it, organise it, prepare it and identify the right next step.
01 / ASSESS
Understand where the case stands
Review the claim, key documents, insurance position and procedural stage to identify the work that would genuinely add value.
02 / ORGANISE
Build the working case file
Create the chronology, identify important evidence, structure the allegations and organise the documents around the issues.
03 / PREPARE
Get ready for the next stage
Prepare the factual and practical material needed for correspondence, expert input, negotiation, counsel or a hearing.
04 / ESCALATE
Use specialist legal input where needed
Where the case requires specialist legal analysis, drafting or advocacy, suitable Direct Access barrister input can be considered.
Defined Work & Fixed Fees
Know what support you are buying before the work begins.
Rather than create an open-ended arrangement, appropriate LIP Service work can be divided into defined stages with the scope and IDS fee agreed in advance.
Barrister fees, expert fees, court fees and other third-party costs are separate where required. Those professionals will have their own terms and charges.
Defined scope
The work IDS is being asked to undertake is identified before
the stage begins.
Fixed IDS fee
Suitable preparation work can be priced as a defined fixed-fee
stage.
No guaranteed outcome
The fee is for the agreed work and expertise, not for a
particular litigation result.
Third-party costs separate
Barristers, experts, courts and other external providers may
charge separate fees where required.
Important
The LIP Service supports your case. It does not make IDS the party conducting your litigation.
IDS can provide defined claims analysis, factual case preparation, evidence organisation, chronology preparation and practical litigation support within the scope agreed.
Where you remain a Litigant in Person, responsibility for conducting the litigation remains with you unless an appropriately authorised person has formally undertaken that reserved activity. Where the party is a company or other corporate body, separate rules can apply to representation and who may appear or act on its behalf.
Where specialist legal advice, advocacy or reserved litigation work is required, the appropriate authorised professional should be used.
Common Questions
LIP Service and litigation support
What is a Litigant in Person?
In general terms, a Litigant in Person is an individual who is conducting court proceedings without a legal representative conducting the litigation for them. Different issues can arise for companies and other corporate parties, so the position should be checked for the individual case.
Does using the LIP Service mean IDS becomes my solicitor?
No. IDS provides defined claims analysis, case preparation, evidence organisation and practical litigation support. It does not present itself as your solicitor or assume reserved legal activities where it is not authorised to do so.
Can IDS help organise my evidence?
Yes. Evidence and document organisation is one of the core purposes of the service. This can include chronologies, document indexes, issue mapping and identifying which evidence relates to particular allegations.
Can IDS prepare a court bundle?
IDS can provide practical document and bundle-preparation support within the scope agreed. Responsibility for complying with the applicable court order, procedural rules, filing and service must remain clearly allocated to the party or appropriately authorised representative responsible for those steps.
Can IDS help with my witness evidence?
IDS can help organise the factual material and chronology relevant to evidence within the permitted scope of the service. Where legal drafting or advice about evidence is required, appropriately authorised legal input may also be needed.
Can I use a Direct Access barrister as well?
Potentially, yes. A suitably registered Public Access barrister can accept direct instructions in an appropriate case for legal advice, drafting or advocacy. Public Access and authorisation to conduct litigation are separate practising rights.
Do I still remain responsible for deadlines?
If you remain the person conducting the litigation, yes. Court orders, procedural deadlines, filing requirements and service should be monitored carefully. The division of responsibility should always be clear.
Can you help if proceedings have already started?
Potentially. The first step is to establish the procedural stage, current orders and deadlines, the existing document file and whether the work required falls within the LIP Service or requires an appropriately authorised legal professional.
Is the service only for professional negligence claims?
No. The LIP model may be appropriate for other substantial civil and business disputes where the required support falls within the service and the professional structure is suitable for the case.
Important information
Insurance Dispute Service provides claims analysis, factual case preparation, evidence organisation and practical litigation support within the defined scope of the LIP Service.
The LIP Service does not mean that IDS assumes conduct of reserved litigation or responsibility for procedural steps which remain with the Litigant in Person or another appropriately authorised person.
The position may differ for companies, partnerships and other legal entities. Representation rights and procedural requirements should be checked for the particular party and proceedings.
Public Access enables suitably registered barristers to accept direct instructions in appropriate cases. Public Access registration and authorisation to conduct litigation are separate practising rights.
Barrister fees, expert fees, court fees and other third-party costs are separate from IDS fees unless expressly stated otherwise.
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. No particular outcome is guaranteed. Limitation periods, pre-action requirements, court orders, filing requirements and other procedural deadlines should be checked for the individual matter.
Managing Your Own Case?
You do not have to prepare every part of it alone.
If you are facing a substantial civil claim and need help turning the documents, evidence and allegations into a structured working case, speak to us about the LIP Service.