McKenzie Friends (civil and family courts)

Let's make this clear: I am not a solicitor. If I were, I would be charging you an exorbitant fee. Would I? Yes, probably. 

You have a right as a litigant in person to undertake your eviction process. I have already told you where to find all the forms. I've already told you that one thing solicitors agree on is not to do it yourself.

If you want to be represented and pay for the privilege, there are plenty of Solicitors waiting for your call.

Why choose me? Because I only specialise in possession claims in England, I do not advertise, as most of my Landlords and Agents are recommended by other Landlords and Agents.  

I will not ask for money up front before I speak with you. It will cost you nothing to find out how I can help, explain why you need to fix something, or tell you that I cannot help because it's been done so poorly it's not fixable. I am confident that you will appreciate my honest and hard-working ethos. If you need to reach me out of hours (not too often), I will be sure to answer your call.

Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends (Civil and Family Courts)

1) This Guidance applies to civil and family proceedings in the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), the High Court of Justice, the County Courts, and the Family Proceedings Court in the Magistrates’ Courts.1 It is issued as guidance (not as a Practice Direction) by the Master of the Rolls, as Head of Civil Justice, and the President of the Family Division, as Head of Family Justice. It is intended to remind courts and litigants of the principles set out in the authorities and supersedes the guidance contained in Practice Note (Family Courts: McKenzie Friends) (No 2) [2008] 1 WLR 2757, which is now withdrawn.2 It is issued in light of the increase in litigants-in-person (litigants) in all levels of the civil and family courts.

The Right to Reasonable Assistance

2) Litigants have the right to have reasonable assistance from a layperson, sometimes called a McKenzie Friend (MF)(that’s me). Litigant (this is you) assisted by MFs remain litigants-in-person. MFs have no independent right to assist. They have no right to act as advocates or to carry out the conduct of litigation.

What McKenzie Friends may do

3) MFs may: i) provide moral support for litigants; ii) take notes; iii) help with case papers; iv) quietly offer advice on any aspect of the conduct of the case.

What McKenzie Friends may not do

4) MFs may not: i) act as the litigants’ agent in relation to the proceedings; ii) manage litigants’ cases outside court, for example by signing court documents; or iii) address the court, make oral submissions or examine witnesses.

I will not do anything that is not contained in The McKenzie Friends remit. The time when you will need a solicitor is when there is a hearing – this is at the final stage of the Journey, not at the start. All the hard work will have been done, and the Solicitors pass it over the finish line.