Small Claims Court - presenting paperwork

I'd print out and organise any information you think might be relevant to your case. Put them in orders of priority so you have the most important then the next down to things which may be. Then should the judge ask for anything you will have it with you, and you will have anything that the party you are dealing with might raise, in connection with your case.
It's more important that you are clear and can clearly state your case than to have legal representation.
My DS did this. The company he was dealing with had a barrister sent up from London, but he still won. He said the judge was very sympathetic

Yes we had advice from a solicitor through the bank insurance scheme, but they were very much behind the scenes.
They told my husband what to write and when, but they didn't write any letters on our behalf.

The builder stuck it out until the last day when he finally asked for our bank details and paid without actually going to court.

It was only £500 though and the solicitor had previously said they wouldn't represent us in court even assuming we would win; we wouldn't be awarded costs with it being SCC, and they would have wiped out any payout we received.

Thank you all for your replies.

V3ra - that’s good to hear. The legal advice helpline through our insurers put us through to solicitors who wanted to take on our case. I have read that there is less sympathy to a party using a solicitor in the SCC so didn’t want to take them on. We will give them another call.

My husband had to take a builders firm to the small claims court when the boss refused to put right a job they'd bodged unless we paid him more money.
He even said to me, "And you can take me to court, I don't care, I'll win because I always do."

We had excellent advice through the legal cover we have with our house insurance: what order and time scale to send letters, certain phrases to use, relevant acts to quote.

We'd had to engage another builder to put right the faulty work so that was the amount we claimed, and we won 🙂

When presenting emails as documentation in a small claims court, it is generally recommended to prioritize relevancy and clarity. Here are a few suggestions: Relevance, Organization, Presentation Format, Text Messages. For specific guidance on your small claims court case, it is advisable to consult with a legal professional.

You may find this Citizens’ Advice Bureau helpful:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/small-claims/going-to-a-small-claims-hearing/

There is no legal reason why your OH should not be a witness should one be needed.

You should find the Clerk of the Court helpful,

I did one online ( Scotland) and just attached screenshots of texts/emails and photographs.