A court-ready electronic hearing bundle is a clearly organized, searchable PDF with accurate computer-generated pagination, a useful index, working navigation, and documents selected for the hearing. The exact contents, deadline, page limit, filing route, and paper-copy requirements depend on the court, jurisdiction, case type, and any case-specific order. Start by checking those instructions rather than assuming one set of rules applies everywhere.
1. Confirm the rules and responsibilities first
Before assembling documents, identify the court and jurisdiction, the type of case, hearing date, and any order or court guide that governs the bundle. Confirm who is responsible for preparing, filing, and serving it; the deadline and permitted filing route; any page limit; and whether paper copies are required. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary’s general e-bundle guidance is for court hearings, not tribunals, and is subject to specific court guidance and directions in individual cases: general Judiciary e-bundle guidance.
The detailed family-proceedings example below applies to the Family Division and family court in England and Wales. Practice Direction 27A and case-specific directions govern those cases; its rules should not be treated as universal filing instructions: Practice Direction 27A.
2. Select and organize the documents
Include documents the court needs to read for the hearing or that will actually be referred to. In family proceedings, Practice Direction 27A identifies categories normally excluded unless the court directs otherwise. The right contents and organization depend on the hearing and type of family case; financial-remedy cases have different structure and pagination provisions from other family proceedings. Follow the applicable direction rather than applying a generic document list.
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Arrange the selected material in a logical order and create an index that identifies each document and its page range. Where the court’s rules call for separate bundles—for example, a hearing bundle and an authorities bundle—follow that direction rather than combining them for convenience.
3. Paginate the PDF and build navigation
Use computer-generated page numbers, not handwritten numbering. The general Judiciary guidance requires continuous numbering from the first page through the last, with the numbers matching the PDF’s page sequence. It states: “All pages in an e-bundle must be numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand.” If a paper version is also required, it should correspond to the electronic version. Family proceedings have additional pagination rules that vary by case type.
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4. Check display quality and file size
Review the PDF page by page before filing. Keep landscape pages in landscape orientation, make sure no pages are upside down or sideways, and set the default display to 100%. The Judiciary’s general guidance sets 300 dpi as the maximum resolution and says to optimize the PDF so it is no larger than necessary. These are general England-and-Wales court-hearing guidance points; check whether a specific court or case direction adds requirements.
5. Name, file, and serve it as directed
Use a filename containing the case reference, short case name, and bundle type under the general guidance. For family e-bundles, include the hearing date as well. Submit and serve the bundle using the channel specified by the court. Practice Direction 27A provides for an HMCTS portal where available; email or the Document Upload Centre may be used only in specified circumstances and arrangements. Do not assume email, a portal, or any other route is acceptable without checking the applicable instructions.
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6. England-and-Wales family proceedings: defaults to check
Practice Direction 27A generally expects an electronic bundle in family proceedings, but allows for paper copies in specified circumstances or when directed. The figures and responsibilities below are defaults under that direction, not universal requirements; case-specific directions can change them.
| Item | Family-proceedings default |
|---|---|
| E-bundle size | 350 A4 pages; a larger bundle requires court permission. |
| Agree contents | Seek agreement seven working days before the hearing. |
| File and serve bundle | Five working days before the hearing. |
| Outstanding preliminary documents | File by 11 a.m. on the working day before the hearing. |
| Default preparer | The applicant, or the earlier applicant in cross-applications, subject to directions. If the applicant is a litigant in person and the respondent is represented, the represented respondent is responsible. |
The family litigant-in-person guide says it applies to cases in the family court or Family Division of the High Court in England and Wales and came into force on 2 March 2026. It supersedes the earlier family e-bundle guidance; the general November 2021 Judiciary guidance no longer applies in family proceedings. See the Judiciary family litigant-in-person guide page.
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When a paper family bundle is required
A paper bundle is also required when the court directs one for the judge, a witness, or a litigant in person who cannot access the electronic bundle, or when there is a realistic possibility of an in-person witness. In those circumstances, the family direction specifies one A4 ring binder or lever arch file, subject to its exceptions. This is a conditional paper-copy requirement, not a component of the electronic PDF.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Handle additions and corrections carefully
If material needs to be added after the original bundle is prepared, use the court’s process. The general Judiciary guidance says to add later pages at the end, ask the court how to provide them, and, subject to directions, provide both the new section and a revised bundle. In family proceedings, a bundle filed and served before a hearing must not be amended before that hearing without prior court agreement. Do not silently replace a filed PDF or change its pagination.
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