Family Law Service: people

Family Law Service is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd and has no officers of its own. The company names Jess Knauf as its co-founder, and Family Legal Ltd’s leadership page names Amber Carter as Managing Director of the company.[1][2] The work is delivered by people named on the service’s about page: two solicitors of DFA Law LLP, Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland, whose entries on the Solicitors Register have been checked for this page; a paralegal, Lucy Nord-Harper; a law practitioner, Lee Simons; and two McKenzie Friends, Karen Hamilton and Lisa Huddleston.[3][4][5]

Only the solicitors’ status can be verified against a public register. The roles and descriptions of the other named people are the company’s statements and are presented as such. No founder of Family Legal Ltd is named on this wiki.

Written by Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK and Associate Member of Resolution. Reviewed by Belinda Atkins, Managing Director of Mediate UK. Last reviewed 6 September 2026; last updated 6 September 2026; next scheduled review March 2027.

Structure

The service is run from the Bracknell office of Family Legal Ltd, whose leadership page names four people: Amber Carter, Managing Director, Family Legal Ltd; Belinda Atkins, Managing Director, Mediate UK; Jess Knauf, “Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK and Co-Founder of Family Law Service”; and Danielle Day, Head of Systems and Automation.[2][6] The solicitors are not employees of the company: they practise at DFA Law LLP in Northampton, which the Family Law Service site describes as the trusted legal partner of Mediate UK, and their work for Family Law Service clients is done as solicitors of that firm.[3][7][8] The McKenzie Friends are described as the founders of a separate practice, Family Harmony, and the law practitioner is located in the South East; whether these people are employees, contractors or referral partners is not stated on the pages consulted.[3]

Co-founder and company leadership

Leadership roles as stated by Family Legal Ltd, September 2026
NameRoleNotes
Jess KnaufCo-founder, Family Law Service; Director of Client Strategy, Mediate UKProfile states “Co-founder of Family Law Service”; Resolution Associate Member; named author of the guides on the company’s sites and of this wiki[9][2][1]
Amber CarterManaging Director, Family Legal LtdLeads the company that trades as Family Law Service[2]
Belinda AtkinsManaging Director, Mediate UKReviewer of this wiki; responsible for the mediation brand, not for Family Law Service operations as described by the company[2]
Danielle DayHead of Systems and Automation, Family Legal LtdSystems and technology across the group[2]

The about page describes Jess Knauf as “the co-founder of Family Law Service, bringing her creativity and empathy to building a platform that makes expert legal support more accessible to families going through divorce or separation”.[3] The site’s home page also states that it was “founded by family law specialists”; no other founder is named on any page consulted.[10]

Solicitors

The solicitor advice sessions and the premium consent order are delivered by Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland.[11][12] The Solicitors Register records Rachel Elizabeth Adams, SRA number 452750, admitted on 1 September 2010, and Emma Suzanne Kirkland, SRA number 415571, admitted on 16 April 2012, both practising at DFA Law LLP with practising certificates from 1 November 2025 and no published regulatory decisions.[4][5] DFA Law LLP, SRA number 484839, has been a licensed body authorised for all legal services since 1 April 2021, with its head office at 2 Waterside Way, Northampton.[7]

Solicitors delivering Family Law Service’s regulated products, with Solicitors Register status
NameRole (company statement)Solicitors RegisterNotes
Rachel AdamsHead of Family Law, DFA Law LLPSRA 452750; admitted 1 September 2010; DFA Law LLP[4]Named on the firm’s website as leading its family team; described by the company as ranked in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 (company statement, not checked against those directories)[13][3]
Emma KirklandSolicitor, DFA Law LLPSRA 415571; admitted 16 April 2012; DFA Law LLP[5]Described by the company as a Resolution member, a Law Society accredited family law specialist and Domestic Abuse Champion for Oxfordshire since 2018 (company statements)[3][8]

The same two solicitors are named on Mediate UK’s “our solicitors” page as the drafters of its consent order package.[8][14] Their entries on the Solicitors Register, not the company’s pages, are the authoritative record of their status, and readers should check the register directly.[15]

Paralegals and law practitioners

Lucy Nord-Harper is named on the about page as a paralegal “specialising in consent order preparation and court documentation for financial remedy proceedings”; the clean break consent order product page spells the surname “Noord-Harper” and names her with Lee Simons as the specialists who draft that product.[3][16] Lee Simons is described as a “Law Practitioner (South East)” with over five years’ family law experience and a 30-year background in the military and law enforcement, who is undertaking the Chartered Legal Executive qualification.[3] Neither title is a protected one. “Paralegal” and “law practitioner” carry no statutory definition, and a person using them is not on any public register unless separately qualified; a Chartered Legal Executive, once qualified, is regulated by CILEx Regulation, but the about page does not state that the qualification has been completed.[3][17]

McKenzie Friends

Karen Hamilton and Lisa Huddleston are named as McKenzie Friends and as the founders of Family Harmony, with “a combined 20+ years professional experience”; the company describes Karen Hamilton as a former elected local councillor of twelve years and a qualified listening counsellor, and Lisa Huddleston as having over twenty years in legal and civil matters.[3] They deliver the C100 completion and the C100 and Cafcass preparation package.[18][19] A McKenzie Friend has no professional status, is not regulated and may assist a litigant in person only within the limits of the 2010 Practice Guidance; the company’s own guide states that McKenzie Friends are “not regulated by any professional body”.[20][21] The regulatory position of each role is analysed on Regulation and professional standards.

See also

References

  1. Our history. Family Legal Ltd. States “Family Law Service launched in November 2025, co-founded by Jess Knauf, to sit between full solicitor representation and self-representation with a published price for every piece of work”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  2. Leadership. Family Legal Ltd. Names Amber Carter, Belinda Atkins, Jess Knauf and Danielle Day with titles. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  3. About us. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Regulatory statement; SRA number 484839 shown for solicitors providing legal advice; names the team. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  4. Solicitors Register: Rachel Elizabeth Adams, SRA number 452750. Solicitors Regulation Authority. Solicitor admitted 1 September 2010; practising certificate from 1 November 2025; DFA Law LLP. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  5. Solicitors Register: Emma Suzanne Kirkland, SRA number 415571. Solicitors Regulation Authority. Solicitor admitted 16 April 2012; practising certificate from 1 November 2025; DFA Law LLP. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  6. FAMILY LEGAL LTD, company number 16431127: overview. Companies House. Active private limited company incorporated 6 May 2025; registered office Access Business Centre, Willoughby Road, Bracknell RG12 8FB; SIC 69109; no previous names. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  7. Solicitors Register: DFA Law LLP, SRA number 484839. Solicitors Regulation Authority. Licensed body since 1 April 2021, authorised for all legal services; head office 2 Waterside Way, Northampton NN4 7XD; no published decisions. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  8. Our solicitors. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). Names Rachel Adams (SRA 452750) and Emma Kirkland (SRA 415571) of DFA Law LLP. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  9. About Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). States “Co-founder of Family Law Service”; Resolution Associate Member. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  10. Fixed fee family law and divorce help. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company home page; footer regulatory statement; telephone 0333 339 5505; ICO ZC018853; “All prices include VAT”; describes Jess Knauf as “our co-founder”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  11. Legal advice: finances, 1 hour. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £299 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; described as a 20-minute telephone consultation with a solicitor plus a written report. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  12. Premium consent order. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £2,499 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; drafted by the named solicitors; includes a 90-minute facilitated meeting with a mediator, court submission and a redraft guarantee. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  13. DFA Law LLP. DFA Law LLP. Firm website; Northampton; states it is authorised and regulated by the SRA, number 484839; names Rachel Adams as head of the family team. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  14. Consent order package. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). £1,649 plus VAT per person (tier 1) and £1,799 plus VAT per person (tier 2); solicitor drafted; includes up to four hours of mediation. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  15. Solicitors Register. Solicitors Regulation Authority. Public search for regulated firms and individuals. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  16. Online clean break consent order. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £499 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; paralegal-drafted; Form A and D81 included; free redraft guarantee; suitable only where there is one property, no business and no pension share or spousal maintenance. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  17. Unregulated legal services: consumer protection law guidance. Competition and Markets Authority. updated 30 January 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  18. Form C100. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £240 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; completed by the named McKenzie Friends. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  19. Form C100 and Cafcass prep package. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £350 including VAT as at 6 September 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  20. Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends (Civil and Family Courts). Master of the Rolls and President of the Family Division. 12 July 2010. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  21. McKenzie Friend: what they can and can’t do. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). States McKenzie Friends are “not regulated by any professional body”. 21 January 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.

This article is part of Family Law Service Wiki, published by Family Legal Ltd, the company that trades as Family Law Service. It is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 6 September 2026. About this site and editorial policy · Report an error.