About McKenzie, and why this is not legal advice

McKenzie is an AI assistant that explains how the family court process works in England and Wales, keeps track of where your case has got to, and helps you prepare your own documents in the formats the court expects.

It answers from a curated set of public sources: legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, the Family Procedure Rules, court form guidance and Cafcass material. Cafcass is the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which advises the court about children's welfare. Where those sources do not cover something, McKenzie says so rather than filling the gap.

• It will not advise you on the law. It explains what a step is and what usually happens. It does not tell you what the law means for your case.
• It will not tell you what to argue. Your position is yours.
• It will not predict what a court will decide, or tell you how strong anything is. Nobody can, and a product that pretended to would be doing you harm.
• It will not write your documents for you. It shows you what belongs in each part and you write it. You are the author of everything you file.
• It will not act for you. It does not contact the court, the other parent, or anyone else.

If you ask it to do one of these, it will say so and explain what it can do instead. That is not the product being difficult: it is the line it does not cross.

Giving legal advice and representing someone in court are regulated activities under the Legal Services Act 2007. Solicitors and barristers are trained, insured and accountable to a regulator for that work. We are not, so we do not do it.

What is not regulated, and what this product is, is help to understand a process and to organise and prepare your own material. That is a real and useful thing, and it is what most litigants in person go without.

A McKenzie friend is someone who sits with you in court to help you: taking notes, keeping your papers in order, and quietly suggesting things. The name comes from a 1970 case, McKenzie v McKenzie.

A McKenzie friend has no right to speak for you, and the court's permission is needed for anything more than quiet assistance. Ours are trained and are not solicitors. They do not give legal advice either.

It is an AI assistant, and it can be wrong. When it reads something out of your documents it shows you the page it came from so you can check it, and nothing goes into your case until you confirm it.

Court forms, fees and timescales change. Check anything that matters against GOV.UK or against the order you have been sent, and where a date matters, the order wins.

Some situations need a lawyer, and this is not a product that will pretend otherwise. Speak to a solicitor or barrister if:

• there are allegations of harm, or a question of domestic abuse;
• social services are involved with your children;
• anyone has applied to take a child out of the country, or you fear they might;
• something urgent is happening and you need an application heard quickly; or
• you simply want someone accountable to advise you on your own case.

Places to start:

• Find a solicitor: solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk
• Direct Access barristers: directaccessportal.co.uk
• Civil Legal Advice, for whether you qualify for legal aid: gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
• Free advice from a charity: citizensadvice.org.uk
• Rights of Women family law advice line: rightsofwomen.org.uk

If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If you need support about domestic abuse, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free on 0808 2000 247, 24 hours a day.

This is information to help you prepare and understand the process. It isn't legal advice. England and Wales only.