Family court free or as close to free as possible is something that more and more separated parents need. The cost of living is rising and extra expenses are not affordable for many people. In addition to self representation as a Litigant in Person, you may also be able to access the family court free if you are on a low income.
Self Representing and McKenzie Friends vs Solicitor Fees
If you contact any solicitor specialising in family law, you’re likely to find that you’ll be hit quickly with mounting fees. During some research, in 2022, we found that an initial consultation with a solicitor would cost around £150 for 30 minutes, with each further 30 minutes being charged at around £100. The ballpark figure that we were given by most firms seemed to be from around £1000 for the simplest of child arrangement applications.
We know that for many people, this is simply out of their price range. But why should you have to pay out all this money just to be able to have a relationship with your children? It doesn’t sound fair to us, so we want to help you to get these costs down as much as possible.
We have tried to provide as many resources as possible for free on our website. Having said that, we have our own expenses and want to keep this website up and running. Therefore, if you would like us to assist you with your case, we are happy to do so, but we charge a small fee for our services. We believe that this is reasonable and will be far cheaper than using a solicitor.
Court Costs
We have a breakdown of all costs that you can’t avoid with the family court process to get a child arrangements order.
MIAM
In our section about the MIAM, you will find out what that is and what role it plays in the family court. Most people have to attend one of these. We found that the cost varies from firm to firm, but you have to get an official mediator, approved by the court, to carry out your MIAM, as well as signing the relevant page in your C100 Form. The cost will very, but expect to pay up to £200 for this.
Can you avoid the MIAM Fee?
In short, no. Unless you are entitled to Legal Aid, you will not be able to have this fee waived. The mediator who carries out your MIAM will be able to tell you if you qualify for legal aid.
You could avoid the MIAM altogether in exceptional circumstances, if the court agrees that a MIAM is not appropriate or necessary for your case.
Court Fees
In order to have your case heard by the court, you will need to complete the C100 form. In 2021, the cost of submitting the C100 rose to £232. If you don’t qualify for any financial assistance for filing forms with the court, this is all you will need to pay. Whether your case is over in one hearing, or if you have to attend court several times, all you will pay to the court is the cost of filing this form.
Can You Avoid The C100 Fee?
You can have court fees waived if you are on a low income. There is a threshold for single adult and couple households, and the earnings threshold changes depending on the number of financially dependant children that you have.
You can visit the official government page for this information and the form that you need to complete in order to have your court fees waived.
We hope that this has helped you. Many families are struggling financially at the moment and so we hope that finding out how to get family court free or as close to free as possible will help you to maintain a relationship with your children without falling into financial hardship as a result.
