District Judge Richard Chapman asks us for help with problems for the judge and the parties when litigants have to represent themselves. For many years, my firm’s Law Shop service has been giving advice to clients who have to self-represent in the Small Claims Court, in exactly the way that District Judge Chapman suggests.

We explain the issues and procedure and help clients with form-filling and correspondence. Our retainer is defined as giving advice and legal help from a qualified lawyer, short of direct communication between us and third parties - otherwise it might suggest that we represent the client.

This is commercially viable for us. We do nothing without the client present and paying on the spot. We can charge a lower hourly rate because we spend no non-chargeable time running the file. There is an extra saving for clients, too, as they are not paying us to do work on their case that they can do for themselves with guidance.

This is not just about litigants in person. It suits other contentious and non-contentious legal problems which pass solicitors by because the traditional ‘acting-for-you’ service is not cost-effective. Providing assisted self-help earns clients’ gratitude, trust and goodwill.

There is a huge new potential market here for solicitors, providing an increasingly essential public service and getting properly paid for it. It just needs some thinking ‘outside the box’.

Peter Browne, Bristol