Facing family or civil court without a lawyer?
We can help at most stages of the court process. We can sometimes help right away or you may be able to book an appointment. View our locations for your local office’s contact and location information
How we can help
We are a charity supporting people who face civil and family court alone so you can represent yourself to the best of your abilities.
Our charity service is free and based in court and University buildings. In addition to our local offices, we also offer a National Helpline Service on 03000 810 006 which is open Monday to Friday 10:30am to 3:30pm. We have an Online Service which, like our Helpline, supports anyone across England or Wales who is unable to access one of our local services.
Our volunteers provide practical, procedural and emotional support in many areas of Civil and Family court processes. They can:
- Explain how the court works, help fill in forms, organise papers, and discuss settling issues without going to court
- Help plan what you want to say in court, and if needed, go with you to court to provide support and help afterwards
- Provide details of other specialist advice agencies, where possible, and help you find out whether you can get free legal advice
Please note that we cannot provide legal advice or legal representation. You may find useful information at Advice Now. We do not support people with criminal cases. You might find it helpful to take a look at what we can and can’t help with.
Our equality and diversity statement
We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We are acutely conscious of the inequality our clients suffer as a result of appearing in court without a lawyer, which can be compounded by special needs and/or personal circumstances.
While we aim to support everyone who comes to us as equally as we can, we work with limited resources. We ask clients to make us aware of any disabilities, or extra needs, as early as possible. We will work together to agree reasonable adjustments to address client needs, within the limits of our resources. If we cannot provide the exact adaptations requested, we will discuss how to achieve the best support we can offer in each situation.
What our clients say
‘I was totally in the dark about what was going to happen, and without the charity’s support I think I would still be totally in the dark. I got a lot of confidence once I gained clarity on what I was going to say.’
Client
London
‘I would definitely recommend this service. It has the potential to change people’s lives.’
Client
Location
‘I have a mental health problem and when I arrived, I was overwhelmed and did not think I would be able to cope. Volunteer made it possible to get through the day. A Big Thank You!’
Client
Liverpool
Locations
Opening hours, address and contact information for all of our locations.
