How to organise evidence for your employment tribunal case

Tribunals see a lot of cases where the facts were on the claimant's side, but the bundle of evidence was so disorganised that the key document never got noticed. A little structure goes a long way.

Build a timeline first

Before you organise documents, write a one-page timeline of events with dates. Then, for each entry, note which document (if any) proves it happened. Gaps in this list tell you where you're relying on memory alone — worth flagging early.

Group documents by type, not by when you found them

• Contract and policies (your terms, the employee handbook, any relevant policy)
• Correspondence (emails, letters, messages — in date order)
• Pay and financial records (payslips, P45, contracts of any new job for loss calculations)
• Meeting notes and minutes
• Witness evidence

Label everything the same way the tribunal will

Tribunals work from a numbered "bundle" — a single paginated set of documents both sides agree on. Number your pages early and refer to them consistently ("see page 34") rather than by description. It makes your case much easier to follow, for the tribunal and for you under pressure.

A document that contradicts part of your own account isn't a reason to leave it out — tribunals notice missing context, and explaining it on your terms is much better than being caught out by it later.

This is general information, not legal advice.