London-based community interest organization Help4LiPs are developing an online video game to help individuals prepare for self-representation in court when they are unable to pay for a lawyer. ‘Virtual Litigation – The Game’ will give LIPs the chance to ‘play’ their case through the entire judicial process, from the early pre-litigation stages right up to the higher courts. Players will be able to adjust the game’s settings in order to match their own circumstances as a litigant – for example, by including information about the nature of their dispute, which area of law it falls under, and how much money they have to put towards the legal process.

Growth in LIPs

Organisations like Help4LiPs are trying to find innovative new ways to respond to the growing number of litigants-in-person flooding UK courts, as heavy cuts to legal aid have left many individuals without access to either a paid attorney or legal aid representation. Last year, LIP charity the Personal Support Unit reported that the number of LIPs it supports per year has risen from around 500 in 2008/09 to an overwhelming 50,000 last year. 

Source: Legal Cheek