A well-prepared bundle helps the judge find key information quickly, keeps hearings running efficiently, and reduces the risk of criticism, delays, or even cases being removed from the list.
In March 2026, the revised Practice Direction 27A (PD27A) came into force, introducing a clearer and more structured approach to family court bundles across England and Wales. The full guidance can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: PRACTICE DIRECTION 27A – FAMILY PROCEEDINGS: COURT BUNDLES.
This article provides a practical summary of some of the most important sections of PD27A and highlights how they align with the findings from Zylpha's 2026 Court Bundle Checklist. The checklist was developed using feedback from experienced bundle creators with recurring issues identified by court users.
PD27A exists to ensure consistency in the preparation and filing of family court bundles across England and Wales. The direction sets out what should be included, how bundles should be structured, how documents should be organised, and the standards expected by the courts.
While the rules can appear technical, their overall objective is simple:
Make it easier for judges and court staff to find the information they need and reduce unnecessary delays.
Paragraph 5 covers the content of every family court bundle, regardless of case type. The key message is that bundles should contain only documents that are relevant to the hearing and that the court actually needs to read or refer to.
The Practice Direction specifically warns against including large volumes of material such as:
unless they are directly relevant to the issues before the court.
Bigger is not better.
One of the most common mistakes is assuming that every available document should be included "just in case". In reality, excessive documentation slows down hearings and makes important evidence harder to find.
The same issue appeared repeatedly in feedback gathered during the creation of Zylpha's Court Bundle Checklist. Common concerns included:
These issues increase bundle size without adding value and can frustrate judges who need to navigate the file efficiently.
Paragraph 6 applies specifically to financial remedy cases and sets out a highly structured approach to bundle preparation.
Key requirements include:
Financial remedy hearings often involve significant volumes of financial information. The structure imposed by PD27A helps prevent important evidence being buried inside a poorly organised bundle.
Consistency matters. Judges should be able to move from one financial remedy bundle to another and immediately understand where information is located.
Many of these requirements mirror checks included within Zylpha's Court Bundle Checklist, including:
These are simple checks but they significantly improve usability when hearings are under time pressure.
Paragraph 7 applies to all family proceedings other than financial remedy cases. It contains detailed guidance on bundle structure, preliminary documents and organisation.
Key requirements include:
PD27A also places significant emphasis on preliminary documents such as:
These documents help judges understand the case before the hearing begins.
A court bundle is no longer just a collection of documents.
The preliminary documents are often the first thing a judge reads and can shape how quickly the issues are understood. Clear summaries and well-structured chronologies can save considerable hearing time.
Our Court Bundle Checklist highlights recurring problems that directly undermine this objective, including:
All of these issues make navigation more difficult and increase the risk of confusion in court.
Paragraph 9 introduces the concept of a Core Bundle. A Core Bundle is a streamlined subset of documents extracted from the main bundle containing only the material that is essential for the hearing. This normally includes a full copy of the index, but with the removed documents either struck through or greyed out.
The purpose is to provide judges with rapid access to the most important documents without having to navigate the entire case file.
In longer or more complex cases, a carefully prepared Core Bundle can significantly improve efficiency and reduce judicial reading time.
Think of the Core Bundle as the judge's "working set" of documents.
Rather than forcing the court to search through hundreds or thousands of pages, the Core Bundle highlights the documents most likely to be referred to during the hearing.
When prepared properly, it can make hearings faster and more focused.
When developing the Court Bundle Checklist 2026 Edition, Zylpha reviewed feedback from professional bundle creators and ongoing comments received from court contacts and court users.
Repeated issues raised included:
Interestingly, these practical problems are exactly the type of issues PD27A seeks to eliminate.
PD27A is not simply a technical compliance document. It is a blueprint for producing court bundles that are efficient, accurate and easy to navigate.
Whether you are a solicitor, legal executive, paralegal or litigant in person, the key lessons are clear:
By combining the formal requirements of PD27A with the practical lessons learned from thousands of real-world bundles, legal professionals can reduce errors, improve efficiency and help ensure hearings proceed as smoothly as possible.
Further Reading:
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