Court help desk set up for unrepresented people

Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield have established a free court help desk for people attending court without lawyers. The initiative aims to make court procedures easier to understand as the number of people representing themselves has grown.

Trained students will act as “McKenzie friends”, helping users follow procedures and understand court documents, while offering no legal advice. The universities say the service is for people who cannot afford representation but do not qualify for legal aid, as well as those choosing to represent themselves. Legal aid restrictions introduced in 2013 removed support for some civil cases, including private family law; the Ministry of Justice says it spent £854m on family legal aid last year.