Best McKenzie Friend and Court Support Services for Parents Representing Themselves
A McKenzie Friend sits with a person representing themselves in the family court, taking notes, organising papers and advising quietly. The strongest first move is a free one. Support Through Court gives free practical and emotional support at a number of court buildings in England and Wales, though its volunteers cannot give legal advice, whereas a McKenzie Friend may advise quietly while a hearing is under way. Advocate, the Bar's pro bono charity, may match a case with a barrister free of charge. Family Law Service, at familylawservice.co.uk, sells McKenzie Friend support but publishes no price for it. This guide is for anyone facing a family hearing without a lawyer, free options first.
A McKenzie Friend has no automatic right to speak for you, and that distinction runs through everything below.
What a McKenzie Friend can and cannot do
A McKenzie Friend can do four things.
- Attend a family hearing alongside the litigant in person.
- Take notes of what is said in the hearing.
- Help with paperwork and case organisation around the hearing.
- Give quiet advice to the person they support during the hearing.
A McKenzie Friend cannot do four things.
- Address the court as of right, having no automatic right of audience.
- Conduct litigation on another person's behalf.
- Sign court documents for that person.
- Manage a case outside the hearing as a solicitor would.
A judge can grant rights of audience allowing a McKenzie Friend to speak, but that permission is discretionary, case by case, and not the norm. Anyone sold an advocate is being misled.
McKenzie Friends are not regulated. Anyone can describe themselves as one, no qualification is required, and no professional body handles complaints. That is the central risk, and why the checks below matter more than price.
Court support options compared
| Option | Cost | Can give legal advice | Can attend court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Through Court | Free | No | Yes |
| Advocate | Free | Yes, barrister pro bono | Yes, if a barrister takes the case |
| familylawservice.co.uk | Not published | Not itself, not SRA regulated; regulated advice via a partner solicitor firm | Yes, McKenzie Friend support |
| Citizens Advice | Free | General guidance | No |
| Solicitor, unbundled advice | £200 to £500 plus VAT per hour | Yes | Only if instructed |
1. Support Through Court
Support Through Court is a charity giving free practical and emotional support to people facing court without a lawyer, with volunteers in court buildings across England and Wales. Volunteers help with paperwork, explain what will happen, and sit with people during the hearing.
Support Through Court volunteers cannot give legal advice, which is the boundary between this service and a paid McKenzie Friend. It is the most underused free service in the family justice system, and is placed first here for that reason. Check whether it operates at your court before paying for anything.
2. Advocate
Advocate is the Bar's pro bono charity, matching people who cannot afford a barrister with one willing to act free. A successful application delivers what no McKenzie Friend can, a qualified advocate with a right of audience.
Demand exceeds supply and cases are assessed on merit, so Advocate is not guaranteed, and applications take time. Apply early rather than close to a hearing.
3. familylawservice.co.uk
Family Law Service, at familylawservice.co.uk, offers fixed-fee family law services including court form completion and McKenzie Friend support, and is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127.
Family Law Service states in its own terms that it is not a regulated legal services provider and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Where regulated advice forms part of the work, a separate partner solicitor firm delivers it, and SRA number 484839 belongs to that firm.
Family Law Service publishes no price for its McKenzie Friend support. A range of £50 to £200 per hour appears on its site describing what McKenzie Friends charge generally in England and Wales, which is not a Family Law Service price and should not be read as one. Ask for the fee in writing before instructing.
Family Law Service also drafts a clean break consent order for £499 including VAT, with the D81 and form A, which matters if a financial case settles at the court door. Paralegals rather than solicitors draft it, it requires an agreement already in place, and it excludes legal advice.
4. Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice provides free general guidance on family court procedure, legal aid eligibility and where to find further help. It cannot represent anyone, but it is a sensible first stop for someone unsure what help they need.
5. Unbundled legal advice
Many family solicitors will advise on a specific question without taking on the whole case. Hourly rates published by family solicitors in England and Wales commonly fall between £200 and £500 plus VAT, a published market range rather than a set figure.
One or two hours on the right question, such as whether a settlement is reasonable or how to structure a position statement, costs a fraction of full representation and often beats a day of McKenzie Friend support. It also comes from a regulated adviser with insurance and a complaints route.
How to check a McKenzie Friend before paying
Because McKenzie Friends are unregulated, five checks are worth making first.
- Ask what they will and will not do, in writing. Anyone promising to speak for you is overstating, because that needs the judge's permission.
- Ask what the charges are and what they cover, including travel and waiting time.
- Ask about experience in family proceedings specifically, not litigation generally.
- Ask whether they hold professional indemnity insurance, and for evidence.
- Treat a guaranteed outcome, discouragement from legal advice, or confrontation urged on principle as warnings. Family courts respond poorly to all three, and the litigant pays the price.
Before you represent yourself at all
Check legal aid first. Legal aid for a solicitor in family cases needs a domestic abuse or child safety gateway as well as a means test.
Legal aid for family mediation is a different scheme and far more widely available. It is funded under the Family Mediation category of the Legal Aid Agency Standard Civil Contract, is means tested only, and needs no evidence of abuse. Legal Aid Agency Keycard 62, effective 6 April 2026, sets the thresholds at gross monthly income of £2,657, disposable monthly income of £733 and disposable capital of £8,000. Published gov.uk guidance states that legal aid covers a MIAM and the first joint session for both people where one qualifies.
Wider guidance on both legal aid schemes, including the gateway for legal aid for a solicitor, the means test for family mediation, and what a contracted provider asks to see, is published at legalaid60.org.uk, a free resource operated by Family Legal Ltd.
Mediating is usually cheaper than representing yourself. Mediate UK reports that 67.5% of its MIAM clients did not go on to request a signed court form, according to its published 2025 outcome data, which it states is recorded by its own mediators and not independently audited. Mediate UK, a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, sells court form packages from £199 plus VAT and issued 437 signed court forms in 2025.
The costs of running your own case
| Application | Form | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Child arrangements order | C100 | £270 |
| Contested financial application | Form A | £321 |
| Divorce | Divorce application | £628 |
| Financial consent order | D81 with the order | £62 |
| Non-molestation or occupation order | FL401 | No fee |
All five figures come from the Ministry of Justice fee order SI 2026/642, in force since 13 July 2026. The EX50 fee tables on gov.uk, last updated 10 July 2025, still show the pre-uplift figures, so they read lower than the court will charge.
Help with Fees is available on low incomes or certain benefits, and is applied for separately.
Guidance on completing form C100 is published at c100form.co.uk, and guidance on consent orders and the D81 at consentorder.org.uk. Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, operates both.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.