Start from knowledge, not argument
Make a private list of the events you personally know about. Mark anything you learned from another person or a document so that you do not present it as something you witnessed. Explain the basis of your knowledge. A statement becomes harder to trust when inference, memory and direct observation are blended together. Keep legal arguments in the appropriate place rather than turning every paragraph into a conclusion.
Build a chronology you can check
Use a simple sequence: your role, the relevant background, the events in dispute and the consequences you can speak to. Draft numbered paragraphs. When an exact date is uncertain, check the records; do not invent certainty. Keep the language close to how you would explain the event aloud. If a detail does not help with an issue in the case, consider whether it belongs in the statement.
Connect the account to the documents
Use the bundle reference required in your case and verify it against the actual bundle version. A reference to “the email” is less helpful than a reference a reader can find. Do not quote whole email chains if a short explanation and a precise reference do the work. Keep a list of references to recheck when the bundle is finalised.
A useful drafting exercise
Take one disputed meeting. Write separately: what you remember being said, what the notes record, and where those two accounts differ. Then describe the disagreement accurately. For example: “The note records X. My recollection is Y because…” This is a drafting exercise, not a template for facts you did not experience. Include inconvenient facts accurately; selective wording can create problems when you are questioned.
Read it aloud and test the references
Read the statement aloud once without editing. Mark sentences you would struggle to explain. Then open every document reference and confirm that it supports the sentence attached to it. Check the tribunal’s requirements for signature, any statement of truth and exchange. Do not assume you can rewrite evidence freely after exchanging it; follow the directions and seek permission where required.
Keep the preparation connected
Your statement, chronology and bundle should tell the same factual story without becoming three copies of the same document. The Employment Tribunal book provides a broader route through preparing and presenting a case. Use its Amazon sample to judge the level of detail, alongside your tribunal’s orders and current official guidance.
Sources & scope
Checked on 8 October 2026. Follow your tribunal’s directions and jurisdiction-specific rules. Examples on this page are fictional and illustrate preparation methods, not legal outcomes.
Edition notes and current-rule checks · General information, not individual legal advice.