Family Law Service: services

Family Law Service sells defined pieces of family law work at published fixed prices to people separating or divorcing in England and Wales. Its catalogue falls into five groups: drafting of financial consent orders; completion of family court forms such as the C100, Form A and Form E; preparation meetings, position statements and case reviews for people representing themselves; one-hour advice sessions with a solicitor; and an automated review of a proposed financial settlement.[1][2][3][4][5] Prices on the company’s two price lists, read on 6 September 2026, run from £9.50 for the automated review to £2,499 for the premium consent order, and the company states that “All prices include VAT; any mandatory third-party fees, such as court fees, are shown clearly before you buy.”[6][1]

The catalogue contains two regulatory positions. Two products, the one-hour legal advice session and the premium consent order, are delivered by solicitors of DFA Law LLP, a firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 484839.[4][7][8] Every other product is unregulated: the company states that “Family Legal Ltd t/as Family Law Service is not SRA-regulated. We do offer both SRA-regulated solicitor services (clearly marked) and unregulated legal information & document services that exclude reserved legal activities.”[6][9] That position is lawful because drafting documents, completing forms and giving legal information are not among the reserved legal activities listed in section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007, but it changes what a buyer can do if something goes wrong.[10][11][12]

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.

Overview

The service sells work, not representation. It does not appear in court, does not conduct proceedings in a client’s name and, outside the solicitor products, does not give legal advice; the buyer remains a litigant in person throughout.[6][9][13] This is the pattern that unbundled legal services follows: a defined task at a defined price, with the client retaining responsibility for the case as a whole. The company’s owner describes the service as sitting “between full solicitor representation and self-representation”.[14]

The market context is the number of people in the family court without a lawyer. In January to March 2026, neither party had legal representation in 49 per cent of private law disposals, and both parties were represented in 13 per cent; the mean time from application to disposal was 35 weeks.[15] The Legal Services Board identifies family law as one of thirteen broad areas in which unregulated providers operate, and found in its research on the sector both benefits, including “more transparent (and potentially more affordable) pricing”, and detriments, including “higher than expected costs, unreasonable delays, and poor advice”.[16]

Every price and description on this page is the company’s own, read from the pages cited on 6 September 2026, and can change without notice. Nothing here is a recommendation. The independent and public routes to help, which cost nothing or are free at the point of use, are listed in the box near the end of the page.

Which services are regulated and which are not

Family Law Service is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Its own statement, which appears in the footer of every page of its website and on each product page consulted, is: “Family Legal Ltd t/as Family Law Service is not SRA-regulated. We do offer both SRA-regulated solicitor services (clearly marked) and unregulated legal information & document services that exclude reserved legal activities.”[6][9][17][5] Where a product is delivered by a solicitor, the site names the solicitors, Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland, and gives the SRA number 484839, which is the number of DFA Law LLP, a licensed body authorised for all legal services since 1 April 2021; it is not a number held by Family Legal Ltd.[4][9][8]

Section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007 reserves six activities to authorised persons: the exercise of a right of audience, the conduct of litigation, reserved instrument activities, probate activities, notarial activities and the administration of oaths.[10] Schedule 2 defines a right of audience as “the right to appear before and address a court, including the right to call and examine witnesses”, and the conduct of litigation as “the issuing of proceedings before any court in England and Wales”, their “commencement, prosecution and defence” and “any ancillary functions in relation to such proceedings”.[18] Completing a form that the client signs and files, drafting an order for the client to submit and explaining procedure fall outside that list, which is why an unregulated business may sell them.[11]

The practical difference is redress. The Legal Ombudsman states that it “can only help if your legal service provider is regulated”, so a complaint about the unregulated products cannot be taken there; the SRA Compensation Fund and the SRA’s compulsory professional indemnity insurance likewise attach to the regulated firm and not to Family Legal Ltd.[12][11] The Competition and Markets Authority’s guidance, updated 30 January 2026, expects an unregulated business to give consumers “an explanation of whether the business is regulated by an approved legal services regulator”, “details of the level of experience and/or qualifications of the staff involved” and “details of the business’s complaints handling procedure and what (if any) other routes of redress are available”.[11] The analysis service by service is on Regulation and professional standards.

Two consent order products are sold. The online clean break consent order, at £499 including VAT, is described by the company as “A paralegal-drafted Clean Break Consent Order based on what you and your ex-partner have agreed”, with Form A completed and a D81 statement of information prepared for both parties, and a free re-draft “if the court rejects the order because of a drafting mistake we have made”.[3] The company states that it is suitable only where there is one property, no business and no pension share or spousal maintenance, and that it excludes legal advice, submission to the court and “any representation, negotiation or legal guidance beyond preparing the documents”.[3] It is unregulated work.

The premium consent order, at £2,499 including VAT, is delivered by the two named solicitors and includes an initial review of the agreement, a 90-minute facilitated meeting with a mediator, a memorandum of understanding, drafting of the order with Form A and D81, submission to the court and responses to the court’s enquiries, with the same re-draft guarantee.[7] That product is solicitor work at an SRA-regulated firm.[7][8] Both are set out in detail on Clean break consent order service, where they are also compared with a solicitor-drafted order bought on the high street and with the mediation-based package sold by Mediate UK, the same company’s mediation brand.[19]

Court form completion

The company completes court forms for a fixed fee, with the client remaining the applicant. On the child arrangements price list, Form C100 completion is £240, the C1A supplement £225 and the C2 £240; a package combining the C100 with preparation for the Cafcass safeguarding interview is £350.[2][17][20] On the property and finances list, Form A is £240, Form E is £250 and the FL401 application for a non-molestation or occupation order is £399.[1]

The C100 products are delivered by Karen Hamilton and Lisa Huddleston, whom the site describes as “highly experienced McKenzie Friends”; the C100 page states that the work includes “full review of your circumstances, professional drafting of the C100 form (including where applicable for SIO and PSO), and guidance on submitting it to the court”.[17][20] The price lists do not state who completes the other forms.[1][2] A McKenzie Friend is not a regulated professional and, under the 2010 Practice Guidance, may not “act as the litigants’ agent in relation to the proceedings” or sign court documents; the client signs and files the form.[21] This group of services is described on Court form completion and McKenzie Friend support.

Preparation, position statements and case reviews

For people who are already in proceedings, the company sells preparation products. On the child arrangements list these are a Cafcass preparation meeting at £150, a court preparation meeting at £225, a position statement at £250 and a package combining the last two at £425.[2] On the property and finances list they are a financial court preparation meeting at £250, a financial position statement at £245, a package of the two at £425, TOLATA support at £250 and a full case review at £499.[1]

The company’s guide for people representing themselves describes a position statement as “a short document, usually one to three pages, telling the judge what you are asking for and why”.[13] None of these products includes attendance at a hearing, and no product for speaking in court appeared on either price list on 6 September 2026; a right of audience is a reserved activity that only the court can grant to a lay person, and the Practice Guidance says such a grant to a person acting as a professional McKenzie Friend “will however only be granted in exceptional circumstances”.[1][2][10][21]

Legal advice

Legal advice is sold as a one-hour product at £299 including VAT, in a finances version and a child arrangements version. The company describes it as a 20-minute telephone consultation with a family solicitor followed by a written report setting out the advice and the recommended next steps, and names Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland as the solicitors delivering it.[4][1][2] The product page states that “Solicitors providing legal advice are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)” and gives the number 484839, the SRA number of DFA Law LLP.[4][8] A full case review is a separate product at £499 on both price lists.[1][2]

This is the only part of the catalogue in which the buyer becomes a client of a regulated firm for the work, with the protections that attach to that. The comparison with the equivalent product sold by Mediate UK, at £250 plus VAT, and the regulatory position are on Legal advice packages.[22]

Automated settlement review

The AI Barrister Review is priced at £9.50. On 6 September 2026 the page read “COMING SOON……..Launching September 2026”.[5] The company describes it as “a structured, England & Wales-based overview of what a court might look at”, “delivered by our AI system, not by a barrister”, and states that it “is information, not legal advice”, that it “does not replace advice from a qualified solicitor or barrister” and that “Using it does not create a solicitor-client relationship”.[5] It is an unregulated information product. Its stated limitations, and the position of the courts on material produced by artificial intelligence, are on AI Barrister Review.[5][23]

Price table

Family Law Service published prices, read from the company’s price lists and product pages on 6 September 2026. All figures are the company’s own.
ServicePrice (company states prices include VAT)Delivered byRegulatory status
Online clean break consent order£499Paralegal[3]Unregulated[9]
Premium consent order£2,499Solicitors of DFA Law LLP[7]Regulated firm (SRA 484839)[8]
Form C100 completion£240McKenzie Friends[17]Unregulated[24]
Form C100 and Cafcass preparation package£350McKenzie Friends[20]Unregulated[24]
Form C1A completion£225Not stated on the price list[2]Unregulated[9]
Form C2 completion£240Not stated on the price list[2]Unregulated[9]
Form A completion£240Not stated on the price list[1]Unregulated[9]
Form E completion£250Not stated on the price list[1]Unregulated[9]
FL401 (occupation or non-molestation order) completion£399Not stated on the price list[1]Unregulated[9]
Cafcass preparation meeting£150Not stated on the price list[2]Unregulated[9]
Court preparation meeting£225 (children); £250 (finances)Not stated on the price list[2][1]Unregulated[9]
Position statement£250 (children); £245 (finances)Not stated on the price list[2][1]Unregulated[9]
Court preparation and position statement package£425 (either list)Not stated on the price list[2][1]Unregulated[9]
TOLATA support£250Not stated on the price list[1]Unregulated[9]
Case review£499Not stated on the price list[1][2]Unregulated[9]
Legal advice, one hour (finances or child arrangements)£299Solicitors of DFA Law LLP[4]Regulated firm (SRA 484839)[8]
AI Barrister Review£9.50Automated; “not by a barrister”[5]Unregulated; information, not advice[5]

The price lists themselves do not label each line with its regulatory status; the status must be taken from the product page, which names the person or system delivering the work, together with the footer statement.[1][2][9] The same £499 and £2,499 prices, and the £9.50 review, also appear on ConsentOrder.org.uk, a site the company states is “owned and operated by Family Legal Ltd”.[25][26]

Court fees, paid separately

Court fees are payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service and are not part of any price above. On the EX50 fee schedule updated 13 July 2026, an application by consent for a financial order (fee 5.1) is £62, an application under the Children Act 1989 is £270 and a divorce application is £628.[27] GOV.UK gives the same £270 figure for an application for a court order about children and notes that an applicant will usually need to show that mediation has been tried.[28] The company’s own guide states that “The court fee for submitting a consent order application in England & Wales is currently £62”.[29] Fee remission, known as Help with Fees, is available to people on a low income and is applied for separately. The full tables are on Family court fees and Divorce fees.

Refunds and complaints

The refund policy states that “Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, you have the right to cancel most services within 14 days of purchase and receive a full refund”, subject to exceptions where the service has already been delivered or the client asked for it to begin within that period.[30] It records product-specific terms: no refund once legal advice has been delivered; a full refund and a free re-draft if the court rejects a clean break consent order because of the company’s drafting error; a 50 per cent refund where a McKenzie Friend meeting is cancelled before it takes place and none within 24 hours; and that AI Barrister reviews are non-refundable once purchased unless the report contains significant errors.[30][5]

Complaints about the solicitor products may be taken to the SRA after the internal procedure, and the firm’s own procedure gives access to the Legal Ombudsman; complaints about the unregulated products fall outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction and are matters of consumer law.[12][11] The complaints route in full is on Regulation and professional standards.

See also

References

  1. Property and finances: services and prices. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company price list read 6 September 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  2. Child arrangements: services and prices. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company price list read 6 September 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  3. 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 re-draft guarantee; states it is suitable only where there is one property, no business and no pension share or spousal maintenance. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  4. Legal advice: finances, 1 hour. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £299 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; 20-minute telephone consultation with a family solicitor plus a written report; solicitors named as Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland; SRA number 484839 shown. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  5. AI Barrister Review. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Read 6 September 2026: “COMING SOON……..Launching September 2026”; £9.50; “information, not legal advice”; “delivered by our AI system, not by a barrister”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  6. Fixed fee family law and divorce help. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company home page read 6 September 2026; footer regulatory statement; telephone 0333 339 5505; “All prices include VAT; any mandatory third-party fees, such as court fees, are shown clearly before you buy”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  7. Premium consent order. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £2,499 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; drafted by the named solicitors; 90-minute facilitated meeting with a mediator, memorandum of understanding, court submission and a re-draft guarantee. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  8. 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.
  9. About us. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Regulatory statement; SRA number 484839 shown for the solicitors providing legal advice; names the team, including the paralegal as Lucy Nord-Harper. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  10. Legal Services Act 2007, section 12: meaning of reserved legal activity. legislation.gov.uk. Six reserved legal activities: right of audience; conduct of litigation; reserved instrument activities; probate activities; notarial activities; administration of oaths. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  11. Unregulated legal services: consumer protection law guidance. Competition and Markets Authority. updated 30 January 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  12. Complaints we can help with. Legal Ombudsman. States “We can only help if your legal service provider is regulated”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  13. Litigant in person. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company guide describing self-representation and the products sold to people representing themselves. updated April 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  14. 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”; dates the 2026 information-site launches. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  15. Family Court Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2026. Ministry of Justice. Private law disposals with neither party represented 49 per cent; both parties represented 13 per cent; mean 35 weeks to disposal. 25 June 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  16. Mapping unregulated legal services. Legal Services Board. Identifies thirteen broad areas of law, family law among them, in which unregulated providers operate. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  17. Form C100. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £240 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; completed by the named McKenzie Friends; includes drafting for specific issue and prohibited steps applications where applicable. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  18. Legal Services Act 2007, Schedule 2: the reserved legal activities. legislation.gov.uk. Paragraph 3 (right of audience) and paragraph 4 (conduct of litigation). Accessed 5 September 2026.
  19. 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); includes a MIAM, up to four hours of joint mediation, a memorandum of understanding, solicitor drafting, Form A and D81, a pension sharing annex if required and filing; excludes court fees, identity verification and independent legal advice. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  20. Form C100 and Cafcass prep package. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £350 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; C100 completion plus a one-to-one preparation session for the Cafcass safeguarding interview. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  21. 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.
  22. Legal advice packages. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). One Hour Legal £250 plus VAT; Two Hour Legal £335 plus VAT; Memorandum Legal Advice £250 plus VAT; states the first “can be purchased online through our sister company, Family Law Service”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  23. Artificial intelligence (AI): judicial guidance. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. States that litigants are responsible for the AI-generated information they present to the court or tribunal. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  24. 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” and “typically don’t have” professional indemnity insurance. 21 January 2026, updated 24 July 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  25. Costs. ConsentOrder.org.uk (Family Legal Ltd). £499 clean break consent order and £2,499 premium order, both including VAT; £62 court fee stated separately as applying since July 2026; AI Barrister Review £9.50. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  26. About ConsentOrder.org.uk. ConsentOrder.org.uk (Family Legal Ltd). States it is “owned and operated by Family Legal Ltd” and “part of a trusted family law group that includes Mediate UK” and Family Law Service. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  27. Family court fees (EX50). HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Fee 5.1, application by consent for a financial order, £62; Children Act 1989 application £270; divorce application (fee 1.2) £628. updated 13 July 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  28. Looking after children if you divorce or separate: apply for a court order. GOV.UK. States “It costs £270 to apply for a court order” and that an applicant will usually need to show mediation has been tried. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  29. How much does a consent order cost?. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company guide; states the £62 court fee and gives the company’s estimates of market prices for drafting. 16 March 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  30. Refund policy. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Fourteen-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations; AI Barrister Review non-refundable once purchased except where the report contains significant errors; 50 per cent refund for a McKenzie Friend meeting cancelled in advance. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  31. Find a solicitor. The Law Society of England and Wales. Free directory searchable by legal issue, location, language, legal aid and accredited specialism. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  32. Support Through Court. Support Through Court. Charity whose volunteers help people facing court without a lawyer, including completing court forms; does not give legal advice. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  33. Advocate: free legal help from volunteer barristers. Advocate. Charity operating since 1996 with about 5,000 volunteer barristers, placing cases across England and Wales. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  34. Family: advice on separation, children and money. Citizens Advice. Free guidance on separating, arrangements for children, money and housing on separation. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  35. Family Mediation Council. Family Mediation Council. Describes itself as “The home of regulated family mediation”; holds the register of family mediators for England and Wales. 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.