Last Updated: 24 October 2025

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These Terms outline how Guiding Stars UK provides independent McKenzie Friend support.
They explain what clients can expect from our service and how we maintain professionalism, confidentiality, and fairness in all our work.

By using our services, you agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions, please contact us before booking.

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1. Appointment as McKenzie Friend

You appoint Guiding Stars UK as your McKenzie Friend.

We are not solicitors or barristers and cannot provide legal advice. Any guidance we provide is lay support only, in line with the Practice Guidance on McKenzie Friends (Civil and Family Courts, 2010).

We cannot:

1. Speak on your behalf in court (no right of audience)
    

2. File documents with the court on your behalf
    

3. Correspond with the court or other parties as your legal representative
    

Any documents remain your responsibility and must be signed by you before you submit them to the court.

Our role is to support you in line with the Practice Guidance on McKenzie Friends (Civil and Family Courts, July 2010):
https://www.judiciary.uk/publications/mckenzie-friends-practice-guidance/ 

We strongly recommend that you seek independent legal advice from a qualified solicitor or barrister where appropriate.

 

2. Services Provided

We may assist you with:

1. Personal support and mentoring
    

2. General advice and guidance
    

3. Help with paperwork, forms and planning
    

4. Organisation of your case documents
    

5. Research of relevant information
    

6. Discussion of options and case preparation meetings
    

7. Help with timing and managing disclosures
    

8. Drafting and reviewing statements and submissions
    

9. Attending court with you in the role of McKenzie Friend
    

 

3. Client Responsibilities

You agree that:

1. All decisions about your case remain yours alone.
    

2. You are responsible for the accuracy of all information and documents you sign or submit.
    

3. You will co-operate by providing accurate, complete, and timely information.
    

4. You may seek legal advice from a qualified solicitor or barrister at any time.
    

5. You agree not to hold Guiding Stars UK liable for the outcome of your case or for any costs arising, as all case outcomes remain solely at the discretion of the court. Our liability is limited to the fees you have paid for our services.
    

 

4. Confidentiality & Data Protection

All information and case papers are treated as strictly confidential.

Confidentiality may be broken only if required by law, or if there is a risk of serious harm to you or others.

We will handle all data in line with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

A separate Privacy Policy will be provided, setting out how your personal data is used and stored.

 

5. Insurance and Professional Standards

Guiding Stars UK holds Professional Indemnity, Public Liability, and Cyber Insurance.
This provides protection for both clients and the McKenzie Friend in respect of professional conduct, confidentiality, and data protection.

We are also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for data protection compliance.

All work is carried out in accordance with the Practice Guidance on McKenzie Friends (Civil and Family Courts, 2010) and the current standards expected by the Family Court.

 

6. Fees & Payment

Our fees are set out in the Fee Schedule (Section 12). These cover our core services, including consultations, professional meetings, court attendance, and communication.

Our standard rates and additional service fees are detailed in the Guiding Stars UK Price List, which forms part of this agreement and provides a full breakdown of optional or ad-hoc service charges.

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Additional charges apply for travel, accommodation, mileage, parking, and other necessary expenses. These will always be discussed and agreed with you in advance wherever possible and clearly itemised on your invoice.

Where consultation with another McKenzie Friend is agreed, any costs will be confirmed with you in advance before being incurred. No additional charges will be made without your consent.

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All payments must be made at the time of booking. A booking is confirmed only once full payment has been received. No services will be provided without upfront payment.

 

Deposit for Flexible Services

For ad-hoc services such as calls, emails, texts we require a £100 deposit to be held on account as credit.
Time will be charged against this deposit in line with our Communication & Contact Policy and hourly rates.

The deposit must be maintained in credit throughout our work together. Once the communication balance is low or used, no further calls, emails, or messages will be carried out until the deposit is topped up (normally in £100 increments unless another amount is agreed).

The deposit remains in place for the full duration of services. Any unused balance will be refunded within 14 days once our services with you have ended.

 

6.1 Optional Client Credit Balance 

Clients may choose to maintain a pre-paid credit balance with Guiding Stars UK, which can be used toward ongoing services, calls, or case preparation as needed.

Payments toward this balance can be made monthly or as agreed, by bank transfer, Stripe, PayPal, or through instalment options such as Klarna or Clearpay.

Work carried out will be deducted from the balance at the agreed hourly or service rates.

Any unused balance will be refunded within 14 days upon request or once services have ended.

The Client Credit Balance is held for administrative purposes only and does not constitute a regulated client account or investment fund.

 

7. Payments, Cancellations & Adjournments

 

7.1 Payment Terms
All services must be paid for in advance.
Payment is due at the time of booking.
A booking is not confirmed until payment has been received in full.
If payment is not received, we reserve the right to release the date and offer it to other clients.
Payment may be made by bank transfer or PayPal Business (full details will be provided at the time of booking).
Where clients use PayPal, any instalment or “Pay in 3” arrangements are between the client and PayPal. We are not responsible for the availability or terms of such options.

 

7.2 Court Hearings and Professional Meetings
This includes family court hearings and professional meetings such as CAFCASS, local authority (Child Protection, Child in Need, LAC reviews), school/education, housing, and MP/councillor meetings.

1. Court hearings are charged at the half-day or full-day rates set out in the Fee Schedule.
    

2. Professional meetings are charged at the standard hourly rate of £80 per hour.
    

3. If you cancel or reschedule with at least 14 days’ notice, you may choose either a refund or to transfer your booking once to a new date at no extra cost.
    

4. If you cancel or reschedule with less than 14 days’ notice, the payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.
    

5. If the court or a professional body cancels or adjourns:
    • With at least 14 days’ notice, you may choose either a refund or one free transfer.
    • With less than 14 days’ notice a 50 % holding fee applies before transfer.
    

6. If a matter is adjourned more than once, we may treat further dates as new bookings, though we will always consider the circumstances fairly.
    

7.3 Client-Only Remote Sessions
This includes consultation calls, remote preparation meetings, and online sessions directly between you and us.

1. If you cancel or reschedule with at least 48 hours’ notice, the session may be rearranged once at no extra cost.

Further cancellations or rearrangements will normally be treated as new bookings, although genuine emergencies will always be considered on a case-by-case basis.
 

1. If you cancel or reschedule with less than 48 hours’ notice, the payment is non-refundable.
    

7.4 If We Cancel
If we need to cancel or reschedule any booking, you will be offered either a full refund or a transfer to a new date.

 

7.5 Illness or Unavailability (McKenzie Friend)
If we are unable to attend due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible.
You may choose either a full refund or to transfer your booking to a new date.

If travel or overnight accommodation has already been booked by Guiding Stars UK to enable attendance, the following applies:

1. All such bookings are agreed with you in advance and charged at cost price (we do not apply any markup).
    

2. If we cancel due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, we will refund any recoverable costs.
    

3. Non-refundable expenses already incurred (such as accommodation or travel we are contractually obliged to pay for) cannot be refunded.
    

4. Refunds depend on the provider’s cancellation policy.
    

While we will do our best to help you make alternative arrangements, we cannot accept liability for any additional costs or losses arising from our non-attendance.

 

7.6 Client Cancellations After Accommodation or Travel Is Booked
If you cancel after accommodation or travel has been booked to enable our attendance:

1. You remain responsible for the full cost of any non-refundable expenses already incurred.
    

2. Any partial or full refunds that can be recovered from providers will be passed back to you within 14 days.
    

3. Refunds depend entirely on each provider’s policy and notice period.
    

4. You may transfer your booking once to a new date; any new travel or accommodation costs will be charged at cost.
    

7.7 Fair Application of Terms
We always aim to apply these terms fairly and reasonably. Genuine emergencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

7.8 Consumer Contracts Regulations
These terms comply with your rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. You have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of this agreement. If you ask us to start work within this period, you will be charged for any work already carried out, and if the services are fully completed, your right to cancel will end.

 

8. Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or end services if:

1. Payment is not made when due.
    

2. You do not provide necessary information or co-operation.
    

3. Your behaviour is abusive, threatening, or undermines the working relationship.
    

Either party may terminate this agreement with 7 days’ written notice. All fees up to the date of termination remain payable.
In the event of abusive, threatening, or inappropriate behaviour, services will be terminated immediately. No refund will be issued for work already carried out, and any fees already paid for booked services will not be refunded.

 

9. Limitation of Liability

We do not guarantee outcomes in your case.

Any information or resources we help you locate are for general guidance only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. We make every effort to ensure accuracy but cannot guarantee the legal correctness of any external material or interpretation.

Our total liability to you is limited to the amount of fees paid for the services.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for fraud or negligence causing death or personal injury.

 

10. Communication & Contact Policy

Emails
Quick emails taking less than 5 minutes to read and reply are free of charge.
Longer or more detailed emails are chargeable in 15-minute units (£20 per unit), based on  the standard hourly rate of £80.

 

Phone calls
Short calls of up to 5 minutes are free of charge.
Longer calls are chargeable in 15-minute units (£20 per unit).

 

Texts / WhatsApp messages
These are for short confirmations only (e.g. arrival times, check-ins).
Case-related queries sent by text/WhatsApp will not normally be responded to.
If multiple or lengthy messages are sent in quick succession, requiring more than 5 minutes to read and respond, they may be treated as chargeable communication at £20 per 15-minute unit. 

 

Any chargeable communication time will always be itemised on your invoice so charges remain transparent.

Where the communication deposit is not in credit, no further calls, emails, or messages will be undertaken until the deposit has been topped up. Written work that has been separately booked and paid for (such as position statements or document drafting) will continue as agreed.

 

11. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the law of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the courts of England and Wales.

 

12. Fee Schedule

Standard hourly rate: £80 per hour
Emails: Quick emails (under 5 mins) – no charge; all other emails – £20 per 15 mins
Phone calls: Quick calls (under 5 mins) – no charge; all other calls – £20 per 15 mins
Professional meetings (CAFCASS, school, local authority, housing, MP, councillor, etc.): £80 per hour
Court attendance – half day (up to 4 hours): £270
Court attendance – full day (over 4 hours): £525
Two-day hearing: £1000
Court hearing deposit: 50% of applicable fee (non-refundable; see Section 7)
Professional meeting deposit: 50% of applicable fee (non-refundable; see Section 7)
Travel time: £40 per hour (if over 1 hour)
Car mileage: £0.45 per mile
Parking: At cost
Public transport: At cost
Overnight accommodation: At cost

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These Terms & Conditions are published for transparency and form part of the agreement between Guiding Stars UK and its clients.
They are reviewed regularly to ensure clarity, fairness, and compliance with current guidance for McKenzie Friends.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss these Terms before working with us, please feel free to get in touch.