You don’t need to be a solicitor to help people in court and we’ll show you how…
Family Law Assistance are THE only alternative to a solicitor
Did you know you can help people in court cases and hearings without being a solicitor? We’ve been doing that for 14 years now.
We help people in divorces, child contact and financial matters. We’re not solicitors and neither are our team members.
And yet we’ve worked in courts around England and Wales – all the way up to the Royal Courts of Justice in central London where we have appeared before (and been commended by) High Court Judges.
We founded Family Law Assistance because there was a gap in the market. A gap that meant people who went to court didn’t feel like they were listened to (`I sat the back and wasn’t involved in important decisions about my own life’ is a common phrase). People felt like a court case was something done to them rather than something they took part in. The felt that their life was on hold, that they were powerless and had to wait for the outcome of a case that could rumble on for protracted periods.
And not being part of it was a huge contribution to the often considerable stress they felt at the end of a marriage or relationship. For many it has left scars that have been felt for years after the court case has ended.
That gap in the market was realising it didn’t have to be that way.
We realised that being an active participant in your case was empowering; you felt you’d been heard; you felt you were part of the decision-making; and whatever the outcome you knew you’d done everything you could have done. That there were positive things you could do at every step. And that unlike the legal professional you could pay £300+VAT an hour, you knew the who, the what, the why and the how instantly.
And even more? No one cared as much as you do about your case. Your children. Your finances. Your divorce.
There have been people assisting others in court for around 50 years now (the technical term is `McKenzie Friends’). Some are `professional hand holders’: We’re the other kind.
How YOU come into it
Our team members play a full part in assisting litigants – being involved in every step of a case, advising and helping with paperwork and forms; being with them in hearings and helping during negotiation or just speaking during meetings to make sure everything is on track.
They’re not solicitors. They’re people who have the right background to be part of the Family Law Assistance team. Some of them have had a prior interest in the law, others not. Some of them have a corporate background or experience in working for themselves.
Our training covers the gaps.
It’s not just about the law; it’s about running a business but it’s also about the emotional side of things. So you’ll learn about how the law works and how to help people in and around court hearings. But you’ll also learn how to manage the expectations of your clients, how to get them into the best frame of mind so they are able to present themselves in a calm, positive and pro-active manner when it really counts.
And when the training is over…well – it’s never really over! Because our background means that continuous improvement is a thing and we are keen to take advantages of developments in law and technology to deliver a great service to our clients as well as making things as easy and successful as possible for our team members. We have regular team catch-ups, regular ongoing training sessions that can be about the Matrimonial Causes Act one week and how to increase your social media engagement the next. And if you need help at any point – we’re on hand to make sure you have the best opportunity there is to succeed.
You don’t need a legal background to be part of Family Law Assistance – but you do need the drive to make it work. There is no guarantee of success in business…but we are the closest thing to it!