A lawyer for when you don’t want a lawyer

Karl Kaliczak, a qualified but non-practising family law solicitor, has set up the McKenzie Friend Service to give people the legal advice to help them in court hearings.

The term McKenzie friend comes from a 1970 case McKenzie vs McKenzie, in which it was established that litigants are entitled to have somebody to advise, support and assist them in court.

With costs a fraction of those charged by solicitors, Mr Kaliczak’s areas of expertise include divorce and children-related disputes in respect of contact, parental responsibility, surname changes and residence.

Mr Kaliczak said: “With planned cuts to the legal aid budget it is likely that many more people will be unable to afford solicitors’ fees, will be left with no choice but to represent themselves in family law court proceedings.

“The good news is that most of these people will be perfectly capable of running their own cases, especially if given the right advice, support and assistance. With my background as a family law solicitor, I have the knowledge and experience to provide this help.”

There are a number of reasons why individuals might choose or be forced to pursue applications without solicitors and or barristers.

They might be ineligible for legal aid, but unable to afford solicitors’ fees, they might want to avoid the delays sometimes involved in legal aid applications, they might have had their legal aid suspended or cancelled, be dissatisfied with their legal team or believe that they know and can present their case better than anyone else.

Despite this, many people are still unaware of their right to have a McKenzie friend during court proceedings and assume that they must pay for a solicitor or go it alone, which can be very intimidating.

Mr Kaliczak says he can offer flexible levels of service so his clients can fully control the level of his involvement and their costs.

In some cases clients may simply want advice about family law matters such as where they want to weigh up options. In others, clients might want more substantial assistance to include preparing a court application and then being accompanied to court hearings.