{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-21.2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-21.2.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/3132",
  "legislation_title": "The Civil Procedure Rules 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998",
  "path": "rule/21.2",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "21.2",
  "heading": "Requirement for a litigation friend in proceedings by or against children and protected parties",
  "text": "(1) A protected party must have a litigation friend to conduct proceedings on their behalf.\n(2) Unless the court makes an order under paragraph (3), a litigation friend must conduct proceedings on a child’s behalf.\n(3) The court may make an order permitting a child to conduct proceedings without a litigation friend.\n(4) An application for an order under paragraph (3)—\n(a) may be made by the child;\n(b) if the child already has a litigation friend, must be made on notice to the litigation friend; and\n(c) if the child has no litigation friend, may be made without notice.\n(5) Where—\n(a) the court has made an order under paragraph (3); and\n(b) it later appears to the court desirable for a litigation friend to conduct the proceedings on the child’s behalf,\nthe court may appoint a person to be the child’s litigation friend.\n(6) Where one of the parties is a child or protected party, that party shall be referred to in the title to the proceedings as “[name] (a [child] [protected party]) by [name] as litigation friend”.\n(7) Where one of the parties is a child conducting the proceedings on their own behalf, the child shall be referred to in the title as “[name] (a child)”.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 21 substituted (1.10.2007) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2007 (S.I. 2007/2204), rule 1, Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Word in rule 21.2(1) substituted (6.4.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/105), rules 1(1), 14(3)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Rule 21.2(2) substituted (6.4.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/105), rules 1(1), 14(3)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Rule 21.2(5)(b) substituted (6.4.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/105), rules 1(1), 14(3)(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Rule 21.2(6)(7) inserted (6.4.2023) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/105), rules 1(1), 14(3)(d)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3132/rule/21.2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:59.276840+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}