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Specialist help for child contact and family issues in UK Family Courts
Court Without a Lawyer.co.uk
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Court Without a Lawyer Community Interest Company. Company no. 7407783


Court Without a Lawyer
A Community Interest Company
Helping you to represent yourself in Court

 

Application form

for contact drawn

up and emailed to

you for only £25

Derek, a client

Thank you so very much, you provided me with a great start in my fight for my littlens. I cannot thank you enough! They are so much happier now they have almost equal shared care from both me and their mother.”

 

A High Court judge:

"Mr Barry was granted right of audience, and represented the appellant extremely well. He was articulate and well-prepared. I am grateful for him keeping the strong feelings out of the case."

Andrew, a client

John, i cannot thank you enough for the work you have done for me and your enthusiasm and beliefs for the work you do is probably the only thing that made me carry on .”

 

FREE DROP-IN SERVICE

What is a McKenzie Friend?

Anyone involved in a family law case in a United Kingdom court is entitled to represent themselves in court (they do not need to employ a solicitor or barrister) and if they choose to do this they are termed a Litigant in Person (LIP).

A LIP may be accompanied by someone to help them and this person is called a McKenzie Friend, named after the case which established the principles in 1970. This is not an automatic right, but a judge would only refuse to allow a LIP to have the help of a McKenzie Friend for a very good reason.

More and more people are conducting their own Family Law cases in court, without a solicitor or barrister. This is because lawyers’ fees can be very high, and Legal Aid to pay these fees is becoming harder to obtain.

Representing yourself in court is not as daunting as it may sound, especially if you have the help of a McKenzie Friend to help in preparing the case beforehand and to sit along-side you in court. We will supply a McKenzie Friend when needed.

How can a McKenzie Friend help?

What a McKenzie Friend May Do:

• Provide moral support for the LIP

• Take notes

• Help with case papers

• Quietly give advice on:

What a McKenzie Friend May Not Do

• A McKenzie Friend has no right to act on behalf of a LIP. He may not act as the LIP’s agent in relation to the proceedings nor manage the case outside court, for example, by signing court documents.

• A McKenzie Friend is not entitled to address the court, nor examine any witnesses. However, in exceptional circumstances, a judge may grant a McKenzie Friend what is termed “rights of audience” in a particular case. The McKenzie Friend would then be allowed to address the court and conduct the litigant’s case for him.