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Going to court without a lawyer.

You’re allowed to, and many parents do. The court will expect you to follow the same rules, but it knows you aren’t a lawyer. What makes the difference is preparation: know the steps, keep your papers in order, and get help with the hard parts.

7 minute readFor England & Wales, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with California and Ontario as US and Canadian examplesLast checked 2 October 2026

If a child or anyone is in danger now, call 999 (UK), 112 (Ireland), 000 (Australia), 911 (US and Canada) or 111 (New Zealand).

Your jobs

The jobs in a case, one at a time.

Tap each job to see what it involves. Then choose where you live for what the rules say.

A general outline. Every case is different.

Where you live

General information, checked against official sources on 2 October 2026. It isn’t advice about your case. The rules in their own words ↓

Organised helps. A lot.

Working method

Prepare the way courts expect.

Much of good preparation is organisation. Seven habits worth copying:

  1. One folder, everything in it.Every paper, in date order, with page numbers. Nothing loose.
  2. One calendar.Every date the court gives you, with a reminder a week before.
  3. A timeline on one page.Each important date, what happened, and the paper that shows it.
  4. Read the rules for your court.They’re free on the official site. The court’s guidance pages explain them in plain words.
  5. Use the free help.Court self-help and information centres, advice services, and the court office for questions about process.
  6. Pay for help where it counts.A lawyer for one fixed-fee task: checking your statement, or advice before a big hearing.
  7. Be brief and polite.In writing and in court. On time, to the point, and calm.

Court staff can help with process, such as which form or where to file, but they can’t give legal advice.

Free tool

Your free kit, in your browser.

Six tools for the jobs you’ll do most. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you add is uploaded.

Hide names in a documentBefore you share papers with an advice service or a one-task lawyer. Chat into a dated transcriptA WhatsApp export becomes a page-numbered PDF. Make a bundleYour papers in one PDF, with an index and page numbers. Photos into a PDFPhone photos of letters become one tidy document. What to gatherA checklist of the papers worth having, ticked as you go. Hearing countdownThe hearing date becomes a preparation plan in your calendar.

All the guides: served papers, the first hearing, evidence, statements, and more →

See it in the app

The organised parent, in one place.

  1. Add whatever you have.In any order: letters, messages, forms. Before the language model reads a word, names become tags.
  2. Your timeline builds itself.Every dated event on one line, each with the page it came from, with the gaps shown.
  3. It quotes the law where you live. Coming in early accessThe sections that apply to your case, in the law’s own words, with a link to the official text. Change the country above and it changes too.
  4. It prepares a briefing for a lawyer.Your case on one page, so an hour of fixed-fee advice starts from your papers, not from scratch.

Sample case. Names and papers are fictional.

What the rules say

The rules, in their own words.

Five questions people ask about representing themselves, answered only from the law, the court rules and official guidance, with the passage that answers it highlighted.

Where you live

Quoted from the official text. It isn’t advice about your case, and laws and rules change: check the official site. In the US and Canada these matters are set by each state and province; California and Ontario are shown as examples.

Questions people ask

The questions that keep you up at night.

Is it a bad idea to go without a lawyer?

You’re allowed to, and many parents have no choice. The courts’ own guidance recommends getting legal advice where you can, even once. If a full lawyer isn’t possible, free advice services and one-task help can cover the most important parts.

Will the judge help me?

Judges can explain the process and make sure you understand what’s happening, but they can’t give either side legal advice. See “What the rules say” for where you live.

Can someone come and help me in court?

In many courts a supporter, sometimes called a McKenzie friend, can sit with you, take notes and quietly advise. They usually can’t speak for you unless the court allows it. See the rules for where you live.

Will I have to question the other parent?

Sometimes witnesses are questioned at a final hearing. Where abuse is alleged, several of these countries don’t allow parents to question each other directly, and the court arranges another way. See “What the rules say”.

Could I have to pay their legal costs?

It depends where you live. In Australia each side usually pays its own; in Ontario the successful party is presumed entitled to costs; in England and Wales the court decides. Being unprepared or not turning up can count against you. See “What the rules say”.

Where do I start?

With where you are now. Served with papers? Start there. A hearing coming up? Read this. Contact stopped? Start here.

You’re not alone

You don’t have to do this alone.

Legal aid isn’t available to everyone, so many parents do some or all of this themselves. Free and low-cost help exists: check whether you qualify, and get advice where it counts.

Free and low-cost legal help
    Someone to talk to, any time
      If anyone is in danger

        Showing help for England & Wales. Change it with “Where you live” above.

        “I built this after going through it myself.” — Andrew, founder

        With a lawyer or without one, walk in with your papers in order.

        PROVEAiBLE reads your papers, sets out the facts with their pages, shows where the papers disagree, quotes the law for where you live, and prepares your papers for the hearing. It never tells you which legal step to take, or how it will turn out. Law for more countries: coming in early access

        Join early accessFree tools →More guides →
        Sources, checked 2 October 2026

        General information, not legal advice. Laws, rules and court processes change; check the official pages and your own papers before you act.