Children’s Guardian

Result! Jeff helped me to win my Final Hearing so my daughter can now come and stay at my house. Straight talking and knowledgable he was better than my previous barrister and around a quarter of the price. I wish I had known about McKenzie Friends a year ago and would recommend Jeff to any father going through the slow pain that is the UK family court system.

Thank you so much Tom.

You are the best among the McKenzie Friends. You helped me so much..Great job!

Carly was a really fantastic choice she went out of her way to help and was a great listener as well she did an amazing job and I wish there were more legal people like her. *****

I would like to say a big Thank you to Haleema for all the help and advice you have given me with regard to my Recent Court hearing for Family matters.

After receiving a return date for a hearing with just 6 days to prepare I contacted Family Law decisions and by return by Email and numerous phone calls Haleema guided me through the whole process even telephoning me on a Sunday, … To offer helpful guidance and assistance in preparing a Position Statement and advising me on the various different options I should consider at the hearing.

I’m pleased that together in court with me as a Litigant in person and Haleema as my McKenzie friend we achieved a successful conclusion to the hearing given the circumstances. Haleema was very professional, thoughtful and understanding, and very knowledgeable about the subject of family matters she answered any questions I had and I felt she went the extra Mile to reach a successful conclusion in my case.

Thank you so much Haleema and should I need your services in the future you and your colleagues at Family law decisions will be my first port of call.

The minute Colin took the case on he was very efficient. He was with me every step of the way, I always knew what was happening with the case and the next steps thank to Colin. If anyone who needs a Mckenzie friend I would most definitely recommend Colin.

Thank you Colin for all your support.

I really appreciate it

Colin has assisted me for 8 months over the course of 4 hearings, including one for a Prohibitive Steps Order, a 2-day Contested Hearing, a hearing for a Special Issue Order and a Final Hearing. His assistance has been invaluable from the very start. His knowledge of case law has assisted me in constructing arguments and he has helped to keep me objective in the midst of a highly stressful case.

As a litigant in person, at every hearing, I have had the outcome I wanted and can attribute this largely to Colin’s assistance at every step of the way. Outside of hearings, he has been a fantastic sounding board. He showed genuine care in wanting me to get the best outcome. Colin’s costs are very reasonable especially considering the extent to which he has supported me.

I have had the assistance of other professional Mckenzie friends, solicitors and counsel, none have assisted me in the way Colin has and for that, I am eternally grateful. Keep up the good work. LIP

Testimonial for the work of Julie Marsden as my McKenzie Friend.

Hi Colin,
Just wanted to send you an email just to say how appreciated i am for your support throughout the whole case, couldn’t of done it without you and most definitely will recommend you for anyone who comes to me that needs an issue resolving.
Very professional and 10/10 for feedbacks, checking in and sorting all issues and Court forms. Good luck for future ventures and proceedings.

Kinds regards

A painless and smooth process…

I highly recommend Jeff Botterill to anyone involved in family court matters. His ultra-sharp advice proved to be very helpful.

I was particularly amazed how good he was at multi-tasking whilst I was cross-examing: he took accurate notes, prompted new questions and drafted submissions, all at the same time and equally well.

Representing myself for the first time at a full-day hearing was emotionally difficult, but his help was reassuring and caling. Thank you Jeff!

Hi, I have asked Colin Brealey for his assistance a couple of times now and have to say his services and knowledge are outstanding and very professional.

On both occasions my court hearings were successful and I have ended up with extra contact with my child. I highly recommend Colin Brealey and thank him sincerely for helping me out in a stressful time.

After spending nearly 5k on a family solicitor who simply did nothing to fight my case but instead just rinsed me then somehow I heard of Family Law Decisions and Colin who gave me solid advice and for the fraction of the price brought my case to conclusion. Brilliant service.

I have nothing but praise for (Family Law Decisions) McKenzie Friends, they go above and beyond, and you are treated with kindness and respect at a difficult time, their advice and support is invaluable and would highly recommend them to everyone. I will write another review after my case to update this review.

Good morning Jeff, Thank you for all your support and hard work.

I have just finished using Colin at Family Law Decisions as my McKenzie friend in a child arrangements order. I cannot praise Colin enough, he was incredibly knowledgeable and instantly filled me with confidence. Together we managed to get an incredible result for my children and I. I only wish I had heard of Colin before I wasted thousands of pounds on solicitors! I genuinely cannot recommend him enough.

If I wouldn’t met Sania Mahmood, I would spend 1000s of £ for the same help from solicitors. She helped me with my case as well as moral advice. I would really recommend her for anyone who’s struggling with family matters.

We were assisted by Tom Edrop and cannot thank him enough.

Our Court outcome was as we wanted and Tom was brilliant, he prepared my daughter for the Court Hearing and constantly put us at ease when we got worried.

Always returned email queries with professionalism and prepared an outstanding Position Statement for us.

Highly recommended.

This is the second time Tom Edrop has represented my daughter in a family matter and can highly recommend him. He handled this case always in a positive way and managed to keep our feet grounded when we wanted to take on the whole world with frustration. He produced a fantastic Position Statement for us. Always polite often asking about our welfare when on certain days finding the going was tough felt like a virtual hug. A positive outcome in court allowing us the opportunity to plan for the future. Thank you Tom

Good morning Sir

Jeff writes the most wonderful position statements. Whenever I received them, I was in awe of how he was able to state everything that needed to be said in such a laconic, precise way and always with the perfect tone. Facing a stream of accusations from the mother, I recall receiving a second position statement from Jeff, and saying out loud after reading it “Oh my god- he’s snookered her- how did he do that in 2 moves“. Jeff is so knowledgeable and insightful in matters regarding the family courts, I wholeheartedly recommend Jeff as McKenzie friend to any parent striving to achieve the best arrangement for their family, most importantly I recommend really listening carefully to the advice that Jeff gives you.

He is like the Maradona (at his peak) of McKenzie friends in the family courts. In a split second, he is able to survey the field, cut out all the noise and map out a direct route to the goal. Then move swiftly towards it, negating all obstacles and opposition as though they are moving in slow motion, with an understanding of what they will do before they do it. and finally, when the ball is in the net, he has the humblest of celebrations, telling you it was all down to you. Having the assistance and guidance of Jeff as my McKenzie friend through one of the most important and stressful situations of my life, was paramount to achieving the best possible family arrangement for our daughter. Thank you so much, Jeff, from both me and my daughter.

I found Family Law Decisions through a web search. I had tried other McKenzie Friends organisations at first but got a rather generic reply by email or slow reply. However, Carly got back to me very quickly and has been really helpful and knowledgeable throughout the stressful hearings. It was like having a legally trained friend helping you through it. Highly recommended.

Colin was very knowledgeable and a huge help in completing the documents for the court process.

Thank you.

I have received much-needed support in my family law case involving our son, a case with a significant international element, from Jeff and Sania. Jeff helped me at a couple of key points when the international aspect was causing serious concern. More recently Sania helped me achieve some good progress on time spent with the child, something I had previously not had much success with on my own.

I have to say out of 15 or so court hearings, it was the least stressful so far having Sania there to provide guidance and support.

If you find yourself in family court, the right bit of help can make all the difference. Jeff and Sania so far have provided that help, which would have otherwise been inaccessible to me through the usual solicitors/barristers route.

I was recommended to this company by a family friend & if l am honest was slightly dubious. But there was clearly no need to be so.

I had a long chat with Carly, who heard me out, listened intently, never once hurried me, cut me off, made me feel l was wasting her time, she was in a phrase a “God Send”. At a time of despair & not knowing which way to turn, Carly advised me, gave me all the options & made good sound suggestions & together we decided on the way forward.

Never ever was l made to feel l was bothering her, she even spoke with me once out of hours, when she realised l had had some, not so good news & reassured me we could make this right & that’s exactly what she did. I can’t praise her enough. And l shall always recommend her to my family & friends.

For me, this is an ongoing situation, which l will be using Carly to help me with legally in the future. Cannot thank her enough & would definitely recommend as professional, efficient & definitely knows her stuff.

I was given Colin’s details by Families Need Father’s Nottingham. It was a time when I needed to save money FAST having spent over 18 grand on solicitors and barristers and was facing a significant income reduction due to COVID.

I didn’t look back; Colin was straight to the point from the start and very quickly got the route issues and basically cut through all the BS. Unusually I would say for a McKenzie Friend, he is very proactive and straight speaking; he doesn’t just do paperwork; he told me exactly what to expect and more importantly what to do. As he’s ex-military and a competitive person; he hates to lose. He didn’t lose with me. He’s well organised, efficient and does exactly what he says he’s going to do.

I had Colin assist me for over a year now and I’m going to use him again for an upcoming case that should wrap matters up. We’ve gone from starting contact with my children in a Contact Centre to regular fortnightly overnight stays and having them 50% of the school holidays; we moved forward in every case we fought. You may not like everything he says, but in my experience, it’s always accurate; do what he says and you will get the right outcome. I continue to recommend him to every person who is struggling to see their kids.

I would like to thank Haleema for the wonderful job and assistance you did at my remote court hearing.

You have been so helpful, knowledgeable and supportive throughout. I was so worried as it was short notice before the hearing, and yet Haleema managed to prepare and deal with everything professionally.

I will always be grateful for the positive outcome of the hearing.

Thank you so much again.

I had Tom (Edrop) by my side, and I’m very grateful I did.

I was going through some horrific family chaos at the time, and Tom managed to navigate me through, both calmly and successfully. He was attentive, intelligent, reasonable, with a huge grasp to attain, retain and recall information quickly. Tom actually gave me some hope, and when you’re stuck against a not-so-pleasant other side, hope gives you confidence, and Tom gives you that in droves (along with good, solid advice).

Thanks Tom!

I cannot thank Carly Graham enough for all of her help and legal guidance so far with my court case. She has gone above and beyond taking my calls late at night as I couldn’t have any consultations with her during work hours. She is so kind and lovely. Just what you need when going through a court nightmare.

Extremely pleased with the service in general and the prices are so reasonable when you compare them to the outrageous costs of any solicitor. I will continue to use Family Law Decisions McKenzie Friends & Paralegals throughout my case and would highly recommend them to anyone involved in a family court case.

I’d like to write this review in praise of the legal work carried out by Lisa Ivanow for me on multiple occasions. Faced with limited time constraints, Lisa eased my concerns and communicated clearly every step of the way. Lisa not only delivered what was required ahead of time. But used her expertise in family law to highlight the most important legal points that needed addressing.

Her work is flawless, professional and confidential. She has created complex court statements for me and I cannot be any happier with Lisa’s work. Please do not hesitate in contacting Lisa regarding any family law proceeding you need help with.

I had a domestic problem so I contacted Family Law Decisions.

Spoke to Haleema who was absolutely amazing. She talked me through everything she supported me through the most difficult experience of my life.

She was always there at the end of the phone & was by my side through it all.

I can’t recommend Haleema enough she’s amazing & she cares about you.

Fantastic support and advice, I got the result I wanted plus emotional support, Replied to emails and phone calls very quickly. Thank you!

Before I met Jeff Botterill I was not coping well, I had spent over 30k on legal fees with another company with minimal progress, mine was a complex case in that conduct was an issue and I had to protect my children. Jeff’s knowledge and experience around family law is impressive – he knew about processes but more than that he also supported me and enabled me to keep me focused on what I needed to do to help keep my children safe at a time when my emotions were all over the place. There are no words that can recommend or thank Jeff enough for how he helped me and my children.

Dear Haleema,
I would like to sincerely thank you for your attendance and assistance at court today as well as the positive outcome that was achieved.
From the day I first contacted Family Law decisions about the matter I have always been impressed by the high level of professionalism and excellent customer focus.

You took the time to listen to me and then clearly explained the legal aspect of the matter to my satisfaction. I was kept informed about the progress of the matter right up to the hearing today. I was anxious about the potential outcomes but your approach was very assuring and frank.

I thank you once again and will further seek your services as I deal with the other aspects of the matter.

I was very happy with the service I got from Izhaar he was my rock I was in despair till I spoke and got help from him I would recommend this firm to anybody who needs help they are absolutely brilliant kind caring and very professional I felt so much more confident once they started helping me thank you so much.

Hi Haleema.

Hi Colin/Jeff,

Just wanted to let you know that things are going smoothly with me and the girls. As I said all along, after 2 minutes of seeing them again it was back to normal, they had missed me, were happy to see me and said they never wanted not to see me.

I had my first overnight stay last weekend, and have another 2 weeks of 1 overnight, then I’m back to every other weekend (normal). I’m sorry it’s taken this long to write any sort of thanks following the court hearing but obviously I’ve been concentrating on the girls, work and have also managed to purchase my house so I’m back on the ladder too

I can’t thank Colin and Jeff enough, without their calm and professional approach, I wouldn’t have been able to stay focused and to have regained contact with my children so quickly. It’s amazing to know that there are people out there that will help, and no matter how much you feel like you’re on your own, you’re not, and there’s always hope.

No nonsense approach. Good value. It was nice to represent myself without a barrister doing the talking.

Hi 🙂 my name is as stated above I was supported last minute by Izhaar Uhaq for my Non-Molestation hearing today as the applicant.

I cannot be grateful enough or express how satisfied I am to have embarked on the help given to me at later stages prior to my court hearing.
I am quite intimidated by the legal jargon and basically wanted help in a way of interpreting my options or questions in more of a way I could understand and express my response to the best of my ability. Not only this I found Izhaar to have a rare quality in being a gentle individual in his approach and offered a great deal of potential in the way of a personable and by offering a great deal of empathy and understanding.
Thank Izhaar, I hope I can continue to embark on your services for the remainder of my Child Arrangement Order in the up and coming future.
You are an asset to the team.
Kind Regards

Jeff, your experience of the English Family Justice System is second to none and you have been invaluable in helping me achieve 50/50 contact for my daughter. Thank you very much for all your help and advice.

Family Law Decisions McKenzie Friends and Paralegals have been very helpful.

Carly Graham the young lady dealing with my case was very professional, she took the time to understand me and my case.

Very friendly and very helpful.

Highly recommend.

Excellent service. Very helpful.

Absolutely brilliant, quick efficient, helpful and polite Sania was excellent cannot recommend enough. Thank you Sania

Tom Edrop took time to talk my son through what would happen at court and was responsive in dealing with and supporting him through the process, for the cost the experience and advice is fantastic! especially after having quotes from solicitors over £10k plus. I would gladly recommend Tom to anyone that is in a similar position.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Jeff for all his help and support through my family court hearing.

He made my process so much easier and took so much pressure off me. He helped write out my statements. He was so genuine and kind he made me feel at ease. Couldn’t have done it without him.

Absolute excellent support.

I’d like to thank Izhaar for his help with my application for child arrangements. He made the anxiety-inducing jargon of a complicated form simple via a single telephone call. I’m confident that if I require more guidance in due course I’ll contact him without hesitation. The cost was so much more affordable than using a solicitor for the exact same process. Thank you Izhaar.

Very knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and responsive.

At a difficult time, it was a relief to have someone explain the process and support me in a professional capacity whilst keeping things simple enough to understand. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Haleema has been amazing with how she has supported me with my final hearing. I had a bit of a meltdown on a couple of occasions and she was incredibly understanding. We spoke about the court process and she helped me prepare an oral submission and questions. Post-hearing I received notes and she helped me to think about the next steps. All in all a really good experience of her service.

Hello Julie and Haleema,

I recently reached out to this company for help with a legal family matter and was helped by a lady called Lisa Ivanow. I can not explain how pleased I am with the service I have received. Lisa’s knowledge and professionalism was outstanding. She went above and beyond to help and advise me. Replies were quick, detailed and easy to understand. I am extremely satisfied with the service I have received and would recommend Lisa and this company to anyone. I would 100% use them again in future if needed.

I was really impressed by the quality of work or documents and advice provided by Sania. I wish I had met Sania or the McKenzie Friends earlier, this would have saved me a lot of money going to Solicitors. Sania is very knowledgeable about the legal matters regarding child arrangements. She was able to turn around the documents at short notice, and they were of high quality.

Mr Colin Brealey assisted me, as a McKenzie Friend when I applied for a Child Arrangements Order for my son.

His professionalism and human support helped me to get this problem sorted out easily and fast. I would highly recommend Mr Brealey to anyone who needs support in Court for family issues.

With help from Jeff, Haleema and Sania with my case has had a positive outcome so far for the family court at a very reasonable cost compared to solicitors. Final hearing is due to come but expect good results with the advice I have received so far.

I am not English and Jeff has been amazing. He guided me through the process of going to Court for my Financial Situation for my divorce.

He supplied me with all the information that I needed and he answered all my questions regards to the Court. I felt well supported and well prepared for the appearance.

I highly recommend his services.

Izhaar has been absolutely amazing with my case so far.

Very professional and straight to the point.

So happy with the outcome of my 1st hearing thank you Izhaar from the bottom of my heart.

My experience with Colin has always been exactly what was needed. Throughout proceedings, there were times when unfairness was rife. Colin ways gave me honest and helpful advice… Even when it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. His professional conduct was complemented by the other party. I really couldn’t have asked for more. Both myself, and my child, thank him for all of the work, help and guidance throughout a very challenging 18 months.

Hello Carly,

The service Jeff provided me in the very difficult situation, was second to none. I may have been paying for a service but I feel indebted to Jeff. – A very positive result for both of my kids.

I’d recommend the help of McKenzie Friends to anyone, they offer great services for affordable prices.

I worked with Tom Edrop from (Family Law Decisions) McKenzie Friends, he has been very helpful towards me getting what I want from the court hearing and was very supportive during the hearing and I will be using his services again in the near future.

I called family law decisions when I desperately needed help and advice regarding a prohibited steps order for my daughter, I received help from Haleema Raja who assisted me with completing the relevant forms and applicant position statement, the situation changed and I had to attend an emergency hearing at family court and then soon after that the first hearing for children matter.

Haleema supported me with her expertise and experience while attending remote hearings, she was very patient and professional throughout as my situation kept changing. I was directed by the court to provide a more detailed statement Haleema passed me on to her colleague Izhaar Ulhaq he completed a very professional statement which was exceptionally drafted for the court.

All this has cost me much less than if I had appointed the services of a Solicitor. I’m very thankful to both Haleema and Izhaar – Great Service!

They are confidential and they give to me a lot of help.

Absolutely unbelievable service. Especially for people who are forced into matters they cannot handle professionally or for financial reasons. I cannot recommend this service enough.

In August 2021, mine and my Children’s world fell apart and we are still going through a horrendous situation. I can’t thank Carly Graham at Family Law Decisions enough for all her support, hard work and expertise. I wish I had have contacted Family Law Decisions sooner. Carly listened carefully, gave honest advice and best way forward. Carly always asks how me and the children are doing with our mental health too, she really cares. The Non-Mol order Carly did for me was approved by a Judge the same day. With all the emotions I am currently going through, I could not have done this without Carly. Thank you again Carly, you are amazing!

Family Law Decisions was amazing, so helpful and calm dealing with traumatic situations. Very patient and thorough. Also can’t thank Izhaar Ulaq enough for helping us get our case heard when the court tried to dismiss it and dealing with every aspect. Thank you so much!

Tom Edrop was very supportive, the day before Settlement Conference he gave me a call and explain the whole procedure such as how it goes, what to expect and how we can approach issues. We narrow down the issues we want to deal with instead of going full package.

During the hearing, he was assisting and we had a WhatsApp connection all the time, he redirect me to the right point when I start floating to keep me in the path. It was not a fight between mom and me and the opposition did not show any interest to get this deal done.

Tom assisted me to get maximum contact which was nowhere near ideal but our hands were tied. After hearing we review it again and I think I couldn’t get this agreement without Tom. I am now more optimistic for the final hearing.

Tom Edrop was very supportive, thorough and prepared all documents with great attention to detail.

Tom liaised with a third party on our behalf and as such, I feel Tom did all he could to help in such difficult circumstances. After the last hearing, we are now heading to our final hearing and I am now more than happy to have Tom as my McKenzie Friend once again. Great service, support and kindness from everyone at Family Law Decisions. Thank you all.

Hi, Colin sorry it’s taken so long for this.

Just wanted to thank Colin for all his hard work and support through my court hearing he was very professional helped me out all along the way answered any questions I had in real talk and that was very important to me I got everything I wanted, a change of residence, thanks to Colin and his team, thanks again Colin

Hi Jeff,

Hope you are well. I just wanted to say how happy I am with Julie. She is informative, emotionally supportive and consistent. I would like to continue on this journey with Julie as my McKenzie friend as I feel she will have a positive impact on my case.

Thanks again.

Izhaar was very professional in his approach handling my case. The communication was very good always promptly answering my delicate queries. I would fully recommend Izhaar and Family Law decisions. Thank You.

After representing myself over a couple of hurdles within the family law realm, teaching myself along the way, it finally became time to apply for a c100. I had my free half hour with a solicitor , and was made aware of the cost, to see through all the process would run me to nearly £9000.

Luckily with a little bit more research, I found family law. I filled in a small call back form, and within a few hours a lovely lady called Carly Graham called back and I must say, within a few minutes, she made me feel relaxed, relieved and recharged. I felt like before finding this company and the wonderful Carly my tank was on empty, physically and emotionally. Myself and Carly had a few chats on the phone and I was more than happy for her to take over. This lady knows her stuff. More than helpful, so articulate and explains the jargon of court paperwork in laymen’s terms. I actually feel that this firm charges less than what they should be, that’s how good Carly reflects on them.

I’m still in the process with my situation, and I know for a fact without Carly by my side, assisting me and explaining things in a clear way, I wouldn’t have got this far. Only a phone call or a Gmail away, and so so prompt in responding. Thank you for everything you have done for me so far, you’re no doubt a brilliant reflection on family law as a company. These people and this firm, really really do care. And I’ve never been one to write a review. Thank you again guys.

Hiya Tom,

It’s difficult to understate the benefit Colin’s vast experience had on my case. His straightforward advice – based on that vast experience – is very refreshing after having dealt with ambiguous and sometimes confusing correspondence from solicitors.

My case was an 18-month difficult case and I have just had a successful outcome.

Excellent value for money and highly recommended.