Head Office, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7BE; Tel: 07936 250644
Our business hours are: Monday - Friday 9am-6pm; Saturdays 9am-3pm and Sundays 12-2pm.
Our insurance cover includes: Professional Indemnity & Commercial Legal Protection
The Family Law Clinic's aims are:
To support litigants in person (those not represented by a Solicitor); To raise our clients' awareness of the law, the legal system and Courts service, in order to enable them to become more confident and independent; To actively promote the use of mediation for clients; To help limit the legal costs of litigants in person by providing low cost legal help and services; To try to limit and circumvent the adversarial approach and attitude of Solicitors, for the benefit of our clients; To support and advocate judicial separation instead of divorce, where appropriate.
It is very important that clients understand the difference between the Family Law Clinic and other legal service providers.
'One-off' 'pay-and-go' contracts:
Since the Family Law Clinic business was created and established it has always been a 'pay-and-go service'. This means that clients are never asked to sign a Contract for Services and to commit themselves to us for the duration of a case. We do not expect this, but are always pleased when clients want us to help all of the way through a case.
Our 'Freedom of Choice' policy means that clients are free to change their mind about using our service at any stage and they are also welcomed back should they decide to come back to us, regardless of whether they have been using a Solicitor or not.
DEFINITION OF A ‘Litigant in Person Assistant'
In family and civil life, there are more litigants in person (LIPs), i.e. those who cannot afford a Solicitor or Barrister, and who need advice, and who need help in court and during proceedings.
Due to consumer demand and need, and the emergence of more fee-charging non-Solicitor/non-Barrister legal service providers who have a broad range of knowledge and expertise, the definition of ‘McKenzie Friend’, referred to in the 2010 Guidance on McKenzie Friends, is no longer fit for purpose, as it does not accurately reflect consumer demand and needs, nor describe the diverse legal service providers in the market place.
Helpers who provide LIPs with a very wide range of advice and assistance in and out of court, can now more accurately be described as a ‘Litigant in Person Assistant’. This modern ‘Assistant’ may or may not charge for their services. They may or may not have qualifications in law. They may or may not have under graduate or post graduate degrees. They may or may not belong to a regulatory body. They may or may not work for a company, charity, society or community organisation. They may or may not be insured. They may or may not be experienced in helping LIPs.
To protect yourself, you should go online and research the Assistant by reviewing their business website to see if it has a complaints policy, client feedback, and if they are insured. See if they are well known by reviewing their LinkedIn site and other sites they appear on. See if they are well known by reviewing Google, Yahoo and other leading search engines.
Nevertheless, the modern LIP Assistant may provide information, guidance, support and legal advice, and assist and organize the LIP, whether the LIP is involved in court proceedings or not, unless the work they are asked to do is a ‘reserved activity’ under the Legal Services Act.
Judges can be asked to give the LIP permission for their Assistant to speak for the LIP in court or do a broader range of tasks for them out of court.
The Legal Services Act will need to be reformed in due course to reflect the diverse market place and the demands and needs of LIPs.
Each appointment/service constitutes a new and separate contract and this ensures the client remains in full control of his/her budget.
At any time, a client can stop using the Family Law Clinic without restriction or limitation, at any point in a case, and not book any more appointments or services again. This means that we do not represent or act for a client, we do not control, take over, run or manage a case, we do not automatically write letters on behalf of clients without their input or feedback.
We work alongside and with our clients, as part of a team, so that the client is always in control, and we only ever communicate with third parties if the client asks us to do so.
There is a risk that you will be disappointed with the outcome of a case if you decide to act as a litigant in person. However, there are no guarantees of success or winning in family law, even if you use a Solicitor.
We regularly publish a variety of monthly offers and all-inclusive low cost packages, which may last for one month or a couple of months. This is part of our promotion and marketing policy. We also introduce new services from time to time, or delete services from time to time.
CHARGING & INVOICING
Family Law Clinic Invoices: Our invoices are clear. However, clients must always check their invoices as soon as they are received. Overlooking or ignoring any of our terms and conditions is at a clients own risk.
Because of the nature of our business, in so far as each appointment or service is treated as a 'one-off' 'pay-and-go' contract, the contents of individual Invoices will inevitably change during the course of a case, depending on various factors, such as type of service, cost or duration of service, fee and type of fee applicable, method of payment, monthly offers, and discounted all-inclusive deals etc. Invoices may show special 'Terms & Conditions'. Please read these carefully as some of these may contain a 'No Refund' or a 'Completion Fee' statement.
If a client asks us to assist during court proceedings, whether or not we actually attend Court, or, a client pays in advance for a discounted all-inclusive package, we do not provide refunds if there is an early settlement or the client is unsuccessful and disappointed with the outcome.
We are very happy to clarify anything for clients. We expect our clients to query or discuss any item on our invoices if they are not sure of its meaning. We require payment immediately. Our justification for not extending credit is that our fees are considerably lower than those charged by high street Solicitors or Barristers, so it is only fair and reasonable that we are paid without delay.
Standard T&Cs for discounted all-inclusive packages-
This document is a clear statement of the terms and conditions that apply when purchasing any discounted package from us. To read online please click 
for a copy in a new window.
The content of this website should not be construed as legal advice.
* The word "most'"or "all' excludes 'legal aid' practising Solicitors. 'Legal aid' Solicitors are compelled to charge a lower hourly rate by the Legal Services Commission. We are not aware of any enrolled non-legal aid Family Law Solicitor who voluntarily charges the same as or less than Family Law Clinic Ltd. We do not hold ourselves out as family law experts. Achieving the ideal result you may wish for in family law matters is not an exact science, and we do not and cannot guarantee the ideal result for clients; this is because the outcome of negotiations between parties and the decisions and directions of district judges, circuit judges and higher courts varies according to each individual case, statute, case law, each judges' discretion, individual circumstances and various external factors. We draw on our experiences and the most up-to-date resources we have, and the training we receive, and we do our best for each client in our role as legal support workers. All of this website and other websites associated with Family Law Clinic Ltd are designed to provide information of a general nature for reference purposes only and should not be regarded as a substitute for obtaining specific advice in relation to your individual circumstances. All information contained in these websites is based on and governed by English Law and subject to the jurisdiction of an English court.
It is a condition of allowing you access to the material on these websites that you exclude Family Law Clinic Ltd from any liability for loss of whatsoever nature arising from your use of these websites. Copyright The rights in material on these websites are protected by copyright. Unless otherwise stated, intellectual property rights of whatsoever nature contained in this website are the exclusive property of Family Law Clinic Ltd, who reserve all rights attached thereto. You agree to use this website in a way which does not infringe these rights and you are prohibited from copying or redistributing any of the content therein without our express permission. Privacy Should you provide us with any information via these websites, we shall use it only for the purpose originally intended and will be bound by the Data Protection Acts 1984 and 1998.
