You do the usual court header, with Skeleton Argument of the Applicant (or Respondent depending which you are)
1 -Set out your case:
This is where you summarise your case and under which the Statute or Act the order you are seeking falls under. and , and the final paragraph should be along the lines of:
2 - State the background to the case
Include a short section of any relevant background to the case. This should only include information which is brief, concise and will assist the court. This section should also summarise what is agreed between the parties and what is disagreed.
3. Set out the points of law and relevant case law
If you are relying on case law to support your own case, use this section should set out any legal authorities or precedents you are relying on in your submissions.
4. Submissions of fact
This section would provide a brief outline of your main arguments, and should refer to facts supported in the evidence.
5. Summary setting out precisely what you are asking the Court to do.
The summary should set out exactly what you want the court to do, or in other words, what you request the court orders to do.
I.E. - A lump sum of £50,000 to the Applicant;
Transfer of the
matrimonial home to the Applicant;
A 50%
pension sharing order of the XYZ pension numbered 123;
Transfer of the ABC policy numbered 124 to the Respondent
6. Reading list/cases
If you are referring to specific cases within your submissions then it is attach a reading list and/or a copy of the cases to the skeleton. You should also, if possible, estimate the length of reading time that will be required.
Formatting, length, content and structure
There are a number of Practice Directions and guidelines in relation to formatting of the skeleton:
The font should be Times New Roman in size 12.
The line spacing should be set at 1.5, to make the text easier to read.
Number your paragraphs so that they are easily referred to.
The left hand margin should be set to at least 2.5cm. When it is included into the court bundle, none of the text is covered when it is bound together.
Paginate your pages - put page numbers in the top right hand corner of each page, to correspond with the page numbering in the court bundle. This will again, make it much easier to refer the court to when making submission. You could do this in pencil so that if something else needs to be inserted, the page numbers can be amended.
The skeleton should be as brief and concise as possible and should be no more than five pages. . Your submissions in the skeleton will be fully argued when you are in court.
