Hearing Support & McKenzie Friend Services
McKenzie Friend Assistance — Subject to Court Permission
Practical, calm support beside you at a family court hearing — helping you keep track of the issues, papers and what is happening while you remain the litigant in person.
Representing yourself in the Family Court can be difficult even when you know your case well. Hearings move quickly. The judge may ask unexpected questions. Orders may be discussed in detail while you are trying to listen, respond and remember what needs to happen next.
A McKenzie Friend can provide structured support without taking over your case: helping with papers, taking notes, quietly advising you and helping you remain focused on the issues the court is dealing with.
A McKenzie Friend supports you in court. They do not automatically become your advocate.
That distinction matters.
The official Practice Guidance recognises reasonable assistance from a lay person for litigants in person. The permitted role includes moral support, note-taking, help with case papers and quiet advice about the conduct of the case.
But the proceedings remain yours. A McKenzie Friend does not automatically have authority to speak for you, question witnesses, make oral submissions or conduct the litigation on your behalf.
JSH Law therefore prepares clients to use a McKenzie Friend properly and effectively rather than presenting court attendance as substitute solicitor or barrister representation.
Is this the right service?
McKenzie Friend attendance may be useful if…
The recognised McKenzie Friend role
What can a McKenzie Friend ordinarily do?
The current judiciary Practice Guidance identifies four core forms of assistance.
Provide moral support
Having someone beside you can reduce the isolation of attending an important hearing alone.
Take notes
Keep a structured contemporaneous record of key discussion, directions, decisions and next steps.
Help with case papers
Assist you in navigating orders, position statements, reports and bundle material during the hearing.
Quietly give advice
Provide discreet prompts and advice about the conduct of the case while you remain responsible for addressing the court.
Important limits
A McKenzie Friend does not automatically have authority to act for you
- A McKenzie Friend does not automatically address the court on your behalf.
- A McKenzie Friend does not automatically make oral submissions for you.
- A McKenzie Friend does not automatically question or cross-examine witnesses.
- A McKenzie Friend does not act as your agent in the proceedings.
- A McKenzie Friend does not automatically acquire the right to conduct litigation.
- A McKenzie Friend should not sign court documents on your behalf as though they were conducting the litigation.
- Assistance must not turn you into a “puppet” through whom the McKenzie Friend is effectively running the case.
Rights of audience
What if you want your McKenzie Friend to speak to the judge?
That requires a separate legal analysis.
A McKenzie Friend has no independent right of audience. A court can grant a lay person permission to exercise a right of audience on a case-by-case basis, but this should not be assumed.
Separate application
If the litigant wants a lay person to have a right of audience, the application should be made at the start of the hearing.
You justify the request
It is for the litigant to explain why the circumstances justify granting that right.
Court decides
The decision belongs to the judge and depends on the particular circumstances of that hearing and case.
Professional McKenzie Friends
Official guidance says rights of audience for people acting as professional McKenzie Friends should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
JSH Law therefore does not sell court attendance on the basis that Jessica will automatically speak for you. If the court independently grants a right of audience in a particular case, the extent of that permission is determined by the court.
Practical hearing support
What can JSH Law actually help with on the day?
Keep track of the issues
Help you distinguish the question currently being dealt with from matters that may need to wait until later.
Locate documents
Help find the relevant order, report, statement or bundle page while the hearing is moving.
Take structured notes
Record important judicial observations, agreements, decisions, directions and deadlines.
Quiet prompts
Remind you about an important point or document without interrupting the hearing or taking over your presentation.
Track proposed orders
Help you follow what is being proposed so you can tell the judge whether you agree, disagree or need clarification.
Identify next steps
Help ensure that deadlines and actions discussed during the hearing are captured for the post-hearing review.
Before court
Court attendance works better when the preparation has already been done
The hearing itself is rarely the best time to discover what the latest order says or what outcome you are seeking.
Understand the hearing
What type of hearing is it, and what is the judge expected to decide?
Identify the live issues
Separate what needs dealing with now from the wider history of the case.
Know your outcome
Be able to explain in plain English what you want the judge to consider doing.
Organise the key documents
Know where the latest order, position statements, Cafcass material and other essential documents are.
Prepare your key points
Reduce the main submissions to a manageable structure you can use when speaking.
Plan for difficult moments
Consider how to respond if the court asks about an adverse point, unexpected proposal or disputed factual issue.
Hearing notes
Good notes are not a transcript — they are a practical record
Orders made
Record the substance of decisions made so they can later be checked against the sealed order.
Deadlines
Capture dates for statements, reports, disclosure, applications or the next hearing.
Judicial reasoning
Note significant reasons or observations where they are relevant to understanding what the court decided.
Agreements
Record important concessions or agreements reached during the hearing.
Outstanding questions
Identify anything that remains unclear and may need checking when the draft or sealed order arrives.
Next actions
Turn the hearing into a practical task list rather than leaving you to reconstruct it from memory.
Confidential family proceedings
A McKenzie Friend must understand the confidentiality of the case
Family proceedings frequently involve highly sensitive information about children, domestic abuse, health, education and private family life.
The official guidance expressly expects a proposed McKenzie Friend to understand the duty of confidentiality.
Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions also regulate when information from children proceedings may be communicated. They permit a party to communicate relevant information to a McKenzie Friend for the purpose of obtaining advice or assistance, subject to the applicable rules and any direction of the court.
Information received through JSH Law is therefore handled for the purpose of providing the agreed litigation support and must not be treated as material that can simply be published or shared more widely.
What to send
Start with the documents that explain the hearing
Latest court order
Usually the most important document for understanding what the next hearing is for.
Hearing notice
Confirms the date, time, hearing format and listed duration where available.
Current applications
These help establish what relief or directions are formally before the court.
Position statements
Your own and, where available, the other party's current positions help identify the disputed issues.
Key professional reports
Cafcass, social-work or expert material may be central to what will happen at the hearing.
Court bundle
Where available, the final bundle allows key documents and page references to be identified before the hearing begins.
What you receive
Support before, during and immediately after the hearing
Depending on the scope agreed, McKenzie Friend support may include:
- pre-hearing review of the latest order and hearing purpose;
- identification of the live issues and orders or directions you intend to seek;
- help organising key documents and bundle references;
- discussion of the points you need to be ready to address;
- attendance with you at the hearing, subject to the court's control and permission where applicable;
- moral support during the hearing;
- quiet advice and prompts within the permitted McKenzie Friend role;
- help navigating court papers while the hearing is underway;
- structured hearing notes;
- tracking of orders, deadlines and next steps discussed in court; and
- a post-hearing check of what needs to happen next where included in the agreed scope.
What the day may look like
Practical support from arrival to the end of the hearing
Common misunderstandings
What a McKenzie Friend service is — and is not
No. You remain a litigant in person.
No. A right of audience is separate and requires the court to grant it.
No. A case-specific grant cannot simply be treated as a standing entitlement for future hearings.
Not necessarily. The official guidance recognises a strong presumption in favour of permitting reasonable assistance, although the court retains control.
No. The assistance should support your participation rather than replacing it.
No. Hearings are dynamic, judicial decisions are independent, and outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
How it works
Prepare first. Support second.
Review the hearing
Establish what type of hearing is listed, what the latest order says and what decisions may be required.
Agree the support needed
Define whether you need preparation only, court attendance, post-hearing support or a combination.
Prepare your case materials
Identify your key points, essential documents, proposed orders and likely areas of difficulty.
Attend the hearing
You remain the litigant while I provide the assistance permitted by the court and the McKenzie Friend role.
Capture what happens next
Review the hearing notes, directions and deadlines so that the next stage of the case is clear.
Facing court without representation?
You can remain the person presenting your case without having to manage every part of the hearing alone.
If you already have a hearing date, send the latest order first. We can identify what the hearing is for, what preparation is needed and whether JSH Law is available to attend with you.
Book a 15-Minute ConsultationYou remain the litigant in person
The purpose is to strengthen your participation — not obscure who is conducting the case
You remain responsible for the proceedings, your instructions, the factual position you advance and the decisions you make about your case.
That can be an advantage when the role is used properly. You retain ownership of the case while having somebody beside you who already understands the papers, procedural history and issues.
The objective is not to speak over you. It is to help you participate with more structure, preparation and confidence.
Clear boundaries
JSH Law provides McKenzie Friend assistance — not automatic representation or advocacy
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.
Jessica does not acquire rights of audience merely by attending court with you as a McKenzie Friend.
Any request for a lay person to address the court is for the court to determine on the facts of the particular case. JSH Law does not guarantee that such permission will be sought or granted.
The court also retains control over McKenzie Friend attendance and assistance throughout the hearing.
You remain responsible for conducting your proceedings, addressing the court where required, complying with orders and making decisions about your case.
Court attendance
McKenzie Friend court support
Court attendance time is charged at the agreed McKenzie Friend court-support rate.
Separate preparation, document review and other standard litigation-support work is generally charged at £100 per hour unless a different fixed fee or scope has been agreed.
The Task Confirmation or agreed scope should identify what is included — for example pre-hearing preparation, attendance, waiting time, post-hearing review and any travel.
Travel, waiting time, preparation and reserved court time may be chargeable where agreed in advance. Court hearings can also be adjourned, delayed, shortened or extended at short notice, so the applicable cancellation and reserved-time terms should be checked when booking.
Attendance remains subject to JSH Law's availability and the court permitting the assistance where required.
View PricingHave a hearing date?
Book a 15-minute consultation
Tell me the hearing date, court, whether it is remote or in person, the type of hearing and approximately how long it is listed for.
If possible, have the latest court order available. That is normally the fastest way to establish what the hearing is expected to deal with and what preparation is required.
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 guidance
Read the judiciary's McKenzie Friend guidance
The official Practice Guidance explains the recognised role, court control, confidentiality, rights of audience and limits of McKenzie Friend assistance.
Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends — Courts and Tribunals Judiciary →
Need something different?
