Hearing Support & McKenzie Friend Services
Note-Taking & Real-Time Procedural Support
Focus on participating in your hearing while somebody else keeps track of what is proposed, decided, directed and left for you to do next.
Family court hearings can generate a surprising amount of information in a short period. The judge may move between allegations, professional recommendations, proposed orders, filing deadlines and the next hearing while you are simultaneously trying to listen and explain your position.
JSH Law can provide structured note-taking and quiet real-time support within the permitted McKenzie Friend role, helping you preserve the practical information you will need once the hearing is over.
“What just happened?” is a difficult question to answer from memory after a stressful hearing.
People naturally remember the parts of a hearing that felt most upsetting or important. That is not always the same as remembering every deadline, concession, direction or qualification in the judge's decision.
Structured note-taking helps separate: what somebody proposed, what another party agreed to, what the judge actually decided and what still remains unresolved.
That distinction becomes particularly important when the draft or sealed order arrives and needs checking against what happened at the hearing.
Is this the right service?
Real-time hearing support may be useful if…
What gets tracked?
Not every sentence — the parts that affect what happens next
The objective is a usable note rather than an attempted word-for-word reconstruction.
Issues discussed
Which live questions the court actually addressed during the hearing.
Judicial decisions
The substance of decisions made and significant reasons given orally where they can be captured reliably.
Proposed orders
What each party or professional asked the court to consider.
Agreements
Important points that were agreed or conceded during the hearing.
Directions
Statements, reports, disclosure, applications or other steps the court directs.
Deadlines
Dates by which documents, evidence or other procedural steps need to be completed.
Next hearing
Any information given about the next hearing, listing window, purpose or estimated duration.
Unresolved points
Issues discussed but not finally determined, or points that require checking when the written order arrives.
Three different records
Hearing note ≠ transcript ≠ court order
These documents perform different functions and should not be confused.
Informal hearing note
A practical contemporaneous record of what happened, prepared to help the litigant understand decisions, directions and next steps.
Official transcript
A written transcription of the court's official recording obtained through the appropriate process. It is different from somebody's handwritten or typed notes.
Court order
The formal document recording the orders made by the court. When received, its wording should be checked carefully against your understanding of what occurred.
Under FPR 27.9, family hearings are ordinarily officially recorded and the rules expressly recognise informal notes of proceedings. A hearing note should therefore never be described as an official transcript.
While the hearing is happening
Real-time support should help you participate — not replace you
Keep your place
Quietly identify where the hearing has moved to when several issues are being discussed.
Find the page
Help locate the order, report or bundle page the judge or another party is referring to.
Capture the question
Help you remain focused on the particular question the judge appears to be asking.
Track what is agreed
Record when an issue that was disputed before the hearing becomes agreed during it.
Identify an important omission
Quietly remind you of a significant issue, document or proposed direction you intended to raise.
Flag something unclear
Prompt you to seek clarification where the practical meaning of a proposal or direction is not clear.
Order & direction tracker
Separate what was requested from what was actually ordered
Quiet procedural prompts
The most useful prompt is often only a few words
Real-time support should not involve a second person effectively running the hearing through the litigant. Short prompts can help without taking control away from you.
“Answer the question first”
Useful when anxiety makes it tempting to return immediately to the wider history.
“Page 146”
A quick reference to the evidence the judge is looking for.
“Ask for the date”
Useful where a direction has been discussed but the deadline remains unclear.
“Is that agreed?”
A reminder to make sure the status of a proposal is understood before moving on.
“Clarify what that means”
Useful when the practical effect of a proposed term is not obvious.
“You still need to raise X”
A discreet reminder about an important unresolved issue before the hearing concludes.
The boundary matters
Real-time assistance is not the same as conducting the hearing
The official McKenzie Friend guidance permits note-taking, help with case papers and quiet advice. It does not give a McKenzie Friend an automatic right to address the court, make submissions or examine witnesses.
Permitted support
Notes, papers, moral support and discreet advice within the recognised McKenzie Friend role.
Your voice
You remain responsible for answering the judge, explaining your position and making decisions about your case.
No automatic advocacy
Court attendance does not itself create a right for JSH Law to speak for you.
Court control
The judge retains control over the assistance permitted throughout the hearing.
Recording is different from note-taking
JSH Law does not secretly record family court hearings
FPR 27.9 provides that family hearings are ordinarily officially tape or digitally recorded unless the court directs otherwise.
The same rule prohibits parties and members of the public from using unofficial recording equipment in court without the court's permission. Unauthorised recording may amount to contempt of court.
If a transcript is needed, that should be obtained through the proper court process. A party can ordinarily request a transcript of the official recording, subject to the applicable process and charges.
Real-time JSH Law support therefore uses written or typed working notes, not covert audio, video or screen recording.
Before the hearing
Decide what needs tracking before the hearing starts
Live issues
Identify the questions the judge is expected to deal with.
Orders you seek
Make sure your proposed outcome can be compared with what is ultimately decided.
Existing deadlines
Note current directions so any variation or replacement can be recognised during the hearing.
Important page references
Mark the documents likely to be discussed so the hearing does not stall while papers are searched.
Unresolved procedural points
Identify anything you need the court to clarify or determine before the case moves forward.
Safeguarding issues
Identify any safety or participation matter that remains live and may require a direction from the court.
During the hearing
The note follows the decision-making process
Who said what?
Distinguish a party's submission from a Cafcass recommendation or the judge's decision.
What changed?
Record when an existing proposal, direction or position changes during discussion.
What did the court decide?
Mark the point at which discussion becomes a judicial decision or direction.
Why?
Capture significant oral reasons where they can be recorded accurately and proportionately.
By when?
Record every date or timetable discussed and whether it was ultimately ordered.
What remains outstanding?
Track anything that still requires a decision, clarification or later procedural step.
Immediately afterwards
Turn the notes into an action list while the hearing is still fresh
Decisions
Identify the decisions understood to have been made.
Your deadlines
Pull out every action that appears to fall to you.
Other-party deadlines
Record steps expected from another party where relevant to future preparation.
Professional actions
Identify anything directed of Cafcass, a local authority, expert or other professional.
Next hearing
Record what the next hearing appears to be for and any listing information given.
Order check
Create a list of points to check carefully once the draft or sealed order is received.
The note is a working aid. When the written order arrives, its wording should be reviewed carefully rather than assuming that the note reproduces every term exactly.
What to send
Good note-taking starts with understanding what the hearing is about
Latest court order
Shows the existing directions and usually identifies the purpose of the next hearing.
Hearing notice
Confirms when, where and how the hearing is listed.
Current position statements
Help identify what each party is asking the court to do.
Key reports
Relevant Cafcass, social-work or expert recommendations may form part of the discussion.
Current bundle
Enables key pages to be located during the hearing where the bundle is available.
Your outstanding questions
Tell JSH Law which procedural points or proposed orders you are particularly concerned about losing track of.
What you receive
A structured working record of the hearing and what follows from it
Depending on the scope agreed, support may include:
- pre-hearing identification of the issues and directions that need tracking;
- attendance as a McKenzie Friend, subject to the court's control and permission where applicable;
- contemporaneous written or typed hearing notes;
- tracking of proposals, agreements and judicial decisions;
- tracking of directions, deadlines and responsibility for each action;
- recording of important oral reasons or observations where they can be captured reliably;
- quiet procedural prompts within the permitted McKenzie Friend role;
- assistance locating relevant papers or bundle pages during the hearing;
- identification of issues left unresolved at the end of the hearing;
- a practical post-hearing action list; and
- identification of points to check when the written court order is received.
Common misunderstandings
What hearing notes cannot safely be treated as
No. They are a working record. The formal order should be checked when received.
No. A transcript comes from the court's official recording through the proper process.
No. Even careful contemporaneous notes may not capture every word or qualification.
No. Unofficial recording without permission is prohibited and may amount to contempt.
Not necessarily. Discussion, agreement and judicial decision need to be kept distinct.
No. Assistance must remain within the permitted role and subject to the judge's control.
Not necessarily. Under FPR Part 29 an order generally takes effect when it is made unless the court specifies a later date.
How it works
Build the note around decisions rather than trying to write everything
Identify what may be decided
Review the current order, hearing purpose and live issues before the hearing starts.
Create the tracking framework
Prepare headings for issues, proposals, decisions, directions, deadlines and next steps.
Track the hearing in real time
Record important developments while providing quiet procedural support where permitted.
Separate decision from discussion
Mark clearly what was proposed, what was agreed and what the judge actually ordered or decided.
Convert the hearing into next steps
Pull out deadlines, actions and points requiring confirmation when the written order arrives.
Worried you will miss something in court?
You should be able to concentrate on the judge without trying to create a transcript at the same time.
If you already have a hearing date, send the latest order. We can identify what needs tracking and whether JSH Law is available to provide McKenzie Friend support at the hearing.
Book a 15-Minute ConsultationConfidential family proceedings
Hearing notes are sensitive case material
Family hearings commonly involve private information about children, domestic abuse, health, schooling, finances and family relationships.
A working note prepared for litigation support is therefore treated as confidential case material and should not be treated as something that can automatically be published, circulated or uploaded publicly.
The rules governing communication of information from family proceedings continue to apply irrespective of whether the information was remembered personally or captured in contemporaneous notes.
Clear boundaries
Hearing notes support your understanding. They are not a guarantee of a complete or verbatim record.
JSH Law provides non-reserved legal services, litigation support and McKenzie Friend assistance. JSH Law is not an SRA-authorised solicitors' firm and does not provide regulated solicitor representation or conduct litigation on your behalf.
Notes are prepared contemporaneously and as carefully as practicable, but they are not an official transcript and should not be represented as one.
Where the precise words spoken at the hearing are materially important, an official transcript or other appropriate court record may be required.
JSH Law does not make covert audio or video recordings of hearings.
Real-time procedural support remains subject to the court's control and the limits of the McKenzie Friend role. You remain responsible for conducting your proceedings and addressing the court unless the judge grants specific permission otherwise.
Hearing-day support
Note-taking & real-time procedural support
Where JSH Law attends the hearing to provide note-taking and real-time McKenzie Friend support, court attendance is charged at the agreed £150 per hour rate.
Pre-hearing preparation, document review and other standard litigation-support work is generally charged separately at £100 per hour unless a fixed fee or other scope has been agreed.
The agreed Task Confirmation should specify whether preparation, waiting time, attendance, travel and post-hearing review are included.
Court listings can change at short notice. Reserved-time and cancellation terms should therefore be checked when attendance is booked.
View PricingNeed somebody tracking the hearing with you?
Book a 15-minute consultation
Tell me the hearing date, court, whether the hearing is remote or in person, the type of hearing and how long it is listed for.
If possible, have the latest court order available. That allows us to identify what decisions, existing directions and deadlines will need particular attention.
Choose a convenient time
Court attendance is subject to availability, agreed scope and the court's control over McKenzie Friend assistance.
Your enquiry will be handled in accordance with the JSH Law Privacy Policy .
Official procedural framework
Notes, recordings, transcripts & court orders
The current rules distinguish informal notes from the official recording, transcripts and the formal order made by the court.
Family Procedure Rules Part 27 — Hearings, Recording & Informal Notes →
Family Procedure Rules Part 29 — Judgments & Orders →
Need something different?
