Frequently Asked Questions

JSH Law Ltd provides non-reserved legal services, litigation support and McKenzie Friend assistance, primarily for people representing themselves in Family Court proceedings in England and Wales.

The work is practical and task-focused. You might need help understanding an order, analysing a Cafcass report, organising evidence, preparing a statement, building a chronology, getting ready for a hearing or working out what needs to happen next.

The core service is designed for litigants in person — people managing all or part of their own Family Court case without a solicitor conducting the litigation for them.

JSH Law also receives professional and collaboration enquiries from solicitors, barristers, support organisations, researchers and legal-technology teams where the proposed work falls within the appropriate scope.

The main focus is private law children proceedings, including:

• child arrangements;
• contact breakdown and enforcement;
• variation applications;
• Cafcass and section 7 reports;
• domestic abuse and PD12J issues;
• coercive control and post-separation abuse;
• evidence and disclosure;
• hearings and procedural preparation;
• appeal groundwork; and
• complex or long-running proceedings.

JSH Law also provides defined support in areas including financial remedy proceedings and protective injunction work where the requested task falls within the service scope.

Yes. Much of the work can be provided remotely across England and Wales, including case review, drafting support, evidence organisation and hearing preparation.

In-person court attendance is subject to availability, location, travel, timing and the role permitted by the court.

Potentially, but the scope needs to be clear. JSH Law should not duplicate, interfere with or create confusion about work being undertaken by your regulated legal representative.

If you already have a solicitor, tell JSH Law at the outset and explain precisely what additional task you are seeking help with.

No. JSH Law does not create a solicitor-client retainer and does not act as your solicitor on the court record.

You remain a litigant in person. The agreed support may include case analysis, procedural guidance, evidence work, drafting assistance, preparation or McKenzie Friend support within the lawful scope of the service.

No. JSH Law does not take over the formal conduct of your litigation.

That means you remain responsible for formal steps in the proceedings, including signing documents, making litigation decisions, complying with court orders, filing and service unless a particular non-reserved administrative task is lawfully agreed.

JSH Law can help you understand and prepare those steps so that you are better equipped to carry them out yourself.

JSH Law does not generally act as your agent or take over correspondence in the way a solicitor conducting litigation would.

Support can include helping you draft a clear, appropriate email or letter, identifying what needs to be requested and reviewing your proposed communication before you send it.

A McKenzie Friend does not have an automatic right of audience. The ordinary role is to support the litigant, take notes, help with papers and quietly provide advice.

Addressing the court, making submissions or questioning witnesses requires separate permission from the judge. You should not book a McKenzie Friend on the assumption that the court will permit them to act as an advocate.

No individual has an independent right to participate as a McKenzie Friend. The court retains control of the hearing and can regulate or refuse assistance where appropriate.

A litigant should tell the court as early as reasonably possible that they wish to receive McKenzie Friend assistance and comply with any direction about the proposed person's details or experience.

You should not assume that communications with an unregulated adviser or McKenzie Friend have the same legal-professional- privilege status as confidential communications with a solicitor or barrister acting in that professional capacity.

JSH Law treats client information seriously and applies its privacy and confidentiality arrangements, but confidentiality and legal professional privilege are not the same thing.

Yes. Case navigation is one of the core services.

A review can help identify:

• the procedural history;
• what the latest sealed order actually requires;
• the live issues;
• the next hearing or deadline;
• what evidence or documents matter now; and
• what practical task needs completing next.

Yes. JSH Law can help organise and structure material into a court-focused document based on your own factual instructions and evidence.

That can include witness statements, position statements, chronologies, schedules of issues, document indexes and other case-preparation material.

You remain responsible for checking the facts, approving the final document and signing any statement of truth.

Yes. JSH Law can help turn large volumes of messages, emails, orders, professional records and other material into a usable evidence structure.

The aim is not to put everything before the court. It is to identify relevance, chronology, contradictions, corroboration, gaps and the material that actually assists the issue the court has to decide.

JSH Law can help you identify what records may be relevant, distinguish a Subject Access Request from court-directed disclosure, prepare focused requests and organise records once received.

There is no universal right for a litigant to obtain every record held by another person or agency. The correct route depends on who holds the information, whose data it is, the purpose for which it is sought and the procedural stage of the case.

The normal JSH Law model is that you remain responsible for filing and service.

JSH Law can help prepare the document, identify the filing requirement, draft the covering email and explain what evidence of filing or service you should retain.

No. Where a document requires your signature or statement of truth, you must satisfy yourself that it is accurate and sign it.

Drafting assistance does not transfer responsibility for the truth of your evidence to the person helping you prepare the document.

JSH Law can assist with bundle preparation, document organisation, indexing, pagination and checking the current procedural requirements.

Responsibility for the formal bundle can depend on the type of proceedings, representation status and the court's directions, so the latest order and current PD27A must be checked.

JSH Law can help analyse relevance and evidential value, but the right evidence depends on the issues the court is deciding.

A stronger case is not necessarily the case with the most documents. Evidence should be connected to an issue, source and purpose.

Yes. Hearing preparation can include:

• identifying what the hearing is actually for;
• working through the latest order;
• identifying the live issues;
• organising key documents;
• preparing a position statement where appropriate;
• thinking through the orders or directions you seek;
• planning concise points to raise; and
• preparing for likely procedural questions.

Potentially. McKenzie Friend attendance is subject to availability, location, the nature of the hearing and the court's control of proceedings.

The ordinary function is support rather than representation: note-taking, helping with papers and quietly advising you while you remain the person presenting your case.

Yes, depending on the hearing and the court's arrangements. Preparation can also be provided remotely even where JSH Law is not attending the hearing itself.

JSH Law can help you identify your key points, the evidence supporting them and the order or direction you seek.

The aim is not to give you a theatrical script. You need to be able to respond truthfully and directly to what happens in the hearing.

Yes. The starting point is usually not “Cafcass is wrong”.

A useful review asks:

• what source supports each important conclusion;
• whether fact, allegation and professional opinion have been distinguished;
• whether significant evidence was considered;
• whether there are internal contradictions;
• whether safeguarding issues were analysed properly; and
• how any defect actually matters to the child's welfare or the recommendation.

Yes, particularly with evidence organisation, chronology, PD12J context, procedural preparation and identifying patterns of alleged behaviour.

JSH Law does not determine whether an allegation is true. The role is to help present the evidential and procedural position accurately and safely.

JSH Law's work is normally with the adult client and the court material, not by interviewing children for evidence.

Children should not be recruited into adult litigation or repeatedly questioned about the other parent. The child's welfare and safe participation should remain central.

No. No responsible adviser can guarantee a finding, recommendation or order.

What JSH Law can do is help ensure the concern is expressed clearly, connected to evidence where available and framed in terms relevant to welfare, risk and the decision before the court.

Yes, for defined non-reserved tasks such as financial disclosure organisation, Form E preparation support, questionnaires, chronology, document review, hearing preparation and procedural analysis.

Complex pensions, tax, company structures, trusts or high-value asset questions may require specialist regulated legal, accountancy or financial advice.

JSH Law can provide practical support with applications, statements, evidence organisation, return-hearing preparation and understanding the procedural position, provided the requested work falls within scope.

Where there is immediate danger, urgent safety action takes priority over waiting for an appointment with JSH Law.

JSH Law can assist with preliminary appeal analysis, chronology, identifying the relevant order and decision, transcript organisation, procedural research and document preparation within scope.

An appeal is not simply a rehearing because you disagree with the result. Deadlines can be short and the proposed ground must identify an appealable error. Specialist regulated advice may be recommended where appropriate.

JSH Law's core Family Court work is private law children proceedings. Public-law care cases are highly specialist and often require regulated representation.

If you make an enquiry, the immediate task can be considered and you may be signposted to a more appropriate specialist where necessary.

No. The service is deliberately suitable for unbundled, defined-task support.

You may want help only with a statement, Cafcass report, chronology, bundle, hearing or procedural review.

Yes, where the task and likely document volume can be defined clearly enough to quote responsibly.

If the scope is uncertain, hourly work may be more appropriate. You will be told the proposed basis before substantial work begins.

The purpose is to identify:

• what proceedings are ongoing;
• what has happened most recently;
• the next hearing or deadline;
• what you are struggling with; and
• whether there is a defined JSH Law task that may help.

It is not intended to resolve an entire complex case in fifteen minutes.

The scope, fee basis and payment arrangements are confirmed before substantial work begins.

Court attendance, urgent work or reserved blocks of time may require payment in advance. Your individual agreement will set out the applicable terms.

Cancellation and refund rights depend on the client agreement, the nature of the booking, whether work has already started and whether time has been specifically reserved for you.

Contact JSH Law promptly if circumstances change rather than assuming the booking has been cancelled.

No. JSH Law is not a legal-aid provider.

If you may qualify for legal aid, particularly where domestic abuse, child protection or other serious issues arise, it is sensible to check whether regulated legal representation is available before deciding to pay privately for unregulated support.

Usually not. Large uploads before the task has been scoped can create unnecessary time and cost.

Start with the latest order, next deadline and the document directly connected to the problem. Further material can be requested if needed.

Turnaround depends on availability, urgency, document volume and complexity.

If there is a deadline, give the exact date and time immediately. Do not wait until the end of a consultation to mention that something is due the following morning.

Urgent work cannot be guaranteed until JSH Law has confirmed availability and scope.

Yes. If the problem requires reserved legal activity, specialist advocacy, complex legal advice or another professional discipline, JSH Law may recommend that you seek a regulated solicitor, barrister, accountant, pension expert, therapist or other appropriate professional.

Good unbundled support includes knowing when the requested task has moved beyond the proper scope of the service.

No.

Family Court outcomes depend on the evidence, applicable law and procedure, the child's welfare where relevant, judicial findings, discretion and the orders actually sought.

JSH Law can help improve preparation and clarity. It cannot responsibly guarantee that a judge, Cafcass officer, local authority or other party will agree with your position.

JSH Law is interested in responsible legal technology and may use technology to assist with tasks such as organisation, analysis, research workflows and document preparation where appropriate.

AI output is not treated as a legal source or substituted for human review. Important legal propositions, cases, procedural requirements and evidence should be checked against reliable sources.

The principle is simple: AI may augment human judgment; it does not replace it.

AI can be useful for structure, plain-English explanation, issue spotting and organising information, but there are significant risks.

Do not assume an AI-generated case citation, quotation, procedural rule or factual conclusion is accurate. Verify it.

You should also think carefully before uploading identifiable information about children, medical records, safeguarding material or confidential Family Court documents into a public AI service.

JSH Law uses structured case-management and document-handling processes. If work proceeds, you will be told how documents should be provided.

Do not publish or casually circulate Family Court material. Restrictions can apply to the communication and publication of information from family proceedings.

Potentially, depending on availability and scope.

Tell JSH Law immediately:

• what has happened;
• why you believe the matter is urgent;
• whether proceedings already exist;
• what order you are considering seeking;
• any current order; and
• the exact deadline or hearing date.

Urgency does not remove the need for evidence, accuracy or procedural fairness.

Do not wait for a JSH Law consultation.

If there is immediate danger or a risk of serious harm, contact the emergency services or the appropriate safeguarding authority. In the UK, call 999 in an emergency.

Identify:

1. what the document is;
2. whether it is sealed or issued by the court;
3. the hearing date;
4. the nearest deadline;
5. what response is required; and
6. what evidence or application the document relates to.

Raise the issue promptly so that it can be understood and addressed. JSH Law has a published complaints procedure explaining the process.

You do not need to pay JSH Law simply to understand the basics. The website contains substantial free guidance.

• Resources — technical and practical guides.
• Family Court Matters — start with the problem you are facing.
• Family Law Updates — current rules, procedure and reform.

You do not need to diagnose the entire case.

For an initial enquiry, identify: the proceedings, the latest order, the next hearing or deadline and the immediate task you need help with.

If JSH Law is not the appropriate service, that can usually be identified before substantial work is undertaken.