Can I Apply to Family Court Without a Solicitor? (2026 Guide)

If you are asking whether you can apply to family court without a solicitor, the answer is a straightforward yes, and you would be in very large company. Nobody checks your qualifications at the door. The court process for children was designed to be used by parents, not only by lawyers, and the forms are written in plain English for that reason.

That does not mean it feels easy. Most parents come to this after months of failed conversations about their children, and the idea of standing up in a courtroom on your own is a genuinely uncomfortable one. The good news is that the process is more procedural than dramatic, and once you understand what the form asks for, most of the fear falls away.

This guide covers what a litigant in person actually does, the full step by step process, what it costs, where self-represented parents tend to come unstuck, and the support available between doing everything alone and paying solicitor fees for the whole case.

Can You Really Apply to Family Court Without a Solicitor?

Yes. There is no rule anywhere in family law that says an application must be made by a solicitor. Anyone with parental responsibility, and in some situations other relatives or carers, can apply for a child arrangements order themselves. If you are unsure whether you fall into that group, our guide on who can apply for a C100 form sets out the categories.

The court’s job under Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 is to treat your child’s welfare as the paramount consideration. A judge is looking at what is best for the child, not at who has the better advocate. That principle is the reason so many parents feel able to apply on their own.

What does litigant in person mean?

A litigant in person is simply someone who takes part in court proceedings without a solicitor or barrister acting for them. You fill in your own forms, write your own statements, speak for yourself at hearings and receive court correspondence directly. It is a description of your situation, not a judgement on it.

How Many People Represent Themselves in Family Court?

Far more than most people expect. Ministry of Justice figures show that across 2025 as a whole, neither parent had legal representation in 47% of private law cases, while both parents were represented in only 15%. The most recent quarterly figures show the proportion of unrepresented parents still edging upwards.

This shift dates back to April 2013, when the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act removed legal aid from most private family cases. Courts adapted. Judges, court staff and CAFCASS officers now expect to be dealing with parents rather than lawyers, and hearings are run accordingly.

How to Apply to Family Court Without a Solicitor, Step by Step

The route to a first hearing is the same whether or not you have a lawyer. Here is the whole thing.

1. Attend a MIAM: a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting is a one to one meeting with an accredited mediator to look at whether your dispute could be sorted out without a court order. It is a legal requirement before most applications, and the mediator signs the certificate on your form. Our guide explains whether you need a MIAM for a C100.
2. Check whether an exemption applies: in cases involving domestic abuse, urgency or risk to a child, you may be able to apply straight away. The recognised grounds are listed in our guide to MIAM exemptions.
3. Complete the C100 form: version 02.26 is the current one. This sets out who the children are, what order you are asking for and why. If there are safety concerns you will also need a C1A supplemental form, and the difference between the C100 and the C1A matters here.
4. Pay the court fee: the fee for a child arrangements or Section 8 application is £270 as of July 2026, following the fee changes that took effect on 13 July 2026.
5. Submit the application: most C100 applications are now filed online through the MyHMCTS service. Guidance on the process is on the GOV.UK page for applying for a court order about children.
6. CAFCASS makes safeguarding checks: CAFCASS runs police and local authority checks and usually telephones both parents for around 20 to 30 minutes. What you say on that call goes into a letter the judge reads before the first hearing.
7. Attend the first hearing (FHDRA): this is normally 4 to 6 weeks after submission, though busy courts can take 8 to 10 weeks. It is a discussion about what is agreed, what is not, and what needs to happen next.

What the Court Expects When You Represent Yourself

Nobody expects you to sound like a barrister. What the court does expect is fairly practical.

• Deadlines are met: if the judge orders a statement by a certain date, file it by that date.
• Papers are in order: bring copies of anything you rely on, in date order, with page numbers if you can.
• Statements stick to facts: dates, incidents and arrangements, not opinions about the other parent’s character.
• Everything is child focused: what you are proposing, and why it works for your child’s routine, school and wellbeing.
• You are polite to the other side: including in emails, which can end up in front of the judge.

Court staff will tell you how to address the judge when you arrive. In most family courts “Judge” is perfectly acceptable, and no one will hold it against you if you get it wrong. If you are nervous about speaking, write your key points on a single sheet and read from it. Judges are used to that.

Where Self-Represented Parents Usually Come Unstuck

In our experience, problems rarely happen in the courtroom. They happen weeks earlier, on paper. The most common causes of delay are:

• A rejected form: missing MIAM certificate, unsigned sections, incomplete child details or the wrong court named. The court returns it and you start the wait again. Our guide to C100 mistakes that delay applications covers the main ones.
• Asking for the wrong order: a child arrangements order, a prohibited steps order and a specific issue order do different jobs. The types of child arrangements orders are worth reading before you tick a box.
• A rushed CAFCASS call: parents are often caught off guard and spend the call venting rather than explaining what they are proposing.
• Statements that read as a complaint: long documents about the other parent, with very little about the child’s actual week.

The Middle Ground Between Going It Alone and Paying Full Solicitor Fees

The choice is usually presented as all or nothing: do everything yourself, or hand the case to a solicitor and pay for every letter and phone call. There is a third option that a lot of parents take, which is to pay a fixed price for the parts where mistakes are expensive, and handle the rest yourself.

The middle row is where most of our clients sit. They are perfectly capable of speaking to a judge about their own children. What they want is certainty that the application will be accepted first time, and a bit of coaching before the CAFCASS call.

When It Is Worth Getting a Solicitor Anyway

Representing yourself suits a lot of cases, but not all of them. It can be helpful to get legal advice where:

• there are allegations of domestic abuse or significant risk to a child, and a fact-finding hearing is likely
• the other parent wants to move abroad with the children, or has already done so
• social services are involved, or there are parallel public law proceedings
• the other parent has a solicitor and barrister and you feel out of your depth
• you are facing enforcement of an order, or an application to change one you already have

Even then, you do not have to hand over the entire case. A single fixed-fee advice session before a key hearing gives you a professional view on your position without committing to full representation.

Help With the Cost of Applying to Court Without a Lawyer

Help with Fees

If you are on a low income or receiving certain benefits, you may pay a reduced court fee or nothing at all. You apply using the EX160 scheme, and you can check your position on the GOV.UK Help with Fees pages before you submit.

Legal aid for family mediation

Legal aid for mediation is means-tested and nothing else. If you meet the income, savings and capital rules, your MIAM and your mediation sessions are free to you, whether or not there has been any abuse. You can check on the GOV.UK guidance for legal aid for family mediation. We are a Legal Aid Agency contracted provider for family mediation, so a qualifying MIAM can be arranged through our mediation service directly.

Legal aid for a solicitor

This is a separate scheme with a separate test. It was withdrawn for most private family cases in April 2013, but it remains available to victims of domestic abuse and in cases involving child safety. You will need to provide evidence, and you will also need to be financially eligible. Start with the GOV.UK tool to check if you can get legal aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author

Jess Knauf

administrator

Jess Knauf is the Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK, Co-founder of Family Law Service and lead author at C100form.co.uk.

With over six years of experience in family mediation across England and Wales, she specialises in C100 court applications, MIAM assessments, child arrangements guidance and divorce mediation. Jess is a member of Resolution, the national organisation of 6,500 family law professionals committed to constructive resolution, and the published author of “The Complete Guide to Divorce in England and Wales 2026” available on Amazon.

She fact-checks all family law content published across C100Form.co.uk to ensure accuracy and compliance with current UK legislation.

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