We'll build you a free website.
Because trust starts before the first call.
Litigants navigating family court are often frightened, exhausted, and wary of being taken advantage of. A professional online presence — your own site, your own story — is one of the most powerful things you can offer before you've even spoken to them.
Register & claim your free siteNot familiar with Bridge The Gap? Take a look around first:
You've trained as a McKenzie Friend.
Now what?
You invested time and money into your training. You know the process, the forms, the hearings. You care deeply about helping people through one of the most difficult experiences of their lives. And then the course ended — and nobody told you how to actually find clients, build trust, or run this as a business.
That gap — between training and practice — is where most McKenzie Friends get stuck. Not because they aren't good enough. Because the sector has no infrastructure to support them.
Getting your first clients
Litigants searching for support online will look for someone with a professional presence — a website, reviews, a clear explanation of what you do. Without that, you're invisible, no matter how good you are.
Building trust before the first call
People facing family court are frightened and wary. A clean, professional website in your own name tells them you are real, accountable, and serious about what you do. That matters before you've said a single word.
Setting your fees and terms
Many new McKenzie Friends undercharge, overcommit, or work without clear agreements in place. You need a professional framework — transparent pricing, a clear scope of what you offer, and boundaries that protect both you and your clients.
Not getting exploited by networks
Some training providers and networks position themselves as the gatekeepers to work. They aren't. Your reputation, your website, and your relationships with litigants belong to you — not to any platform or membership organisation.
This is exactly why Bridge The Gap built the Verified Support Initiative. We give you the professional foundation — a real website, a verified listing, a public presence — so you can focus on what you trained for: helping people who desperately need it.
"You don't need your own website — we'll elevate you as a lead on ours."
Sound familiar?
If you've trained with a McKenzie Friend network, there's a very good chance you were told exactly this. It sounds reasonable on the surface — why pay for your own website when you can piggyback on theirs?
Here's the honest answer: the litigant is their lead. You are their product. The network sells access to desperate people in crisis — and your membership fee is how they monetise that. The moment you rely entirely on their platform to be found, you are at the mercy of their algorithm, their priorities, and their commercial model — not yours.
Who controls your visibility?
On a network site, your position in search results is determined by them — not by your quality, your experience, or your reviews. Pay more, rank higher. That is how most of them work.
What happens if you leave?
Your profile disappears. Every litigant who found you through them is now finding someone else. You have built nothing — no Google presence, no independent reputation, nothing you own.
Who is the client really?
The litigant is the lead — the person the network markets to. You are the product they sell membership access on the back of. Ask yourself: who is actually paying, and who is being paid for?
Your own website — even a simple one — means a Google presence in your name. It means litigants can find you, not a network page that lists twelve people. It means when someone searches for a McKenzie Friend in your town, you appear. Independently. Permanently.
We build that for you. For free. Because we believe McKenzie Friends who are serious about the people they help deserve to be found without paying a network a monthly fee for the privilege.
"I don't need a website."
Here's why that's costing you clients.
It's one of the most common things McKenzie Friend networks tell their members. And it almost always serves the network — not you.
"Our directory listing is all you need."
A directory entry puts you alongside 20 other names. A personal website means a litigant lands on a page that is entirely about you — your story, your experience, your values. There is no comparison.
"Litigants don't Google individual McKenzie Friends."
They absolutely do. Litigants in person are often research-obsessed — they have to be. Before they call anyone, they search. If your name produces no results, or only a listing on someone else's site, that creates doubt. Doubt loses you clients.
"We'll do your marketing for you."
Networks market themselves — you are their content. The traffic and reputation they build belongs to their domain, not yours. If you stop paying, or they close down, you start from zero. A personal website builds something permanent in your own name.
"A website looks too commercial."
The opposite is true. A clear, honest, human website — one that explains who you are, what you charge, and what you can and cannot do — is the single most powerful trust signal you have. It shows you have nothing to hide.
What a website actually signals to a frightened litigant
You are real
A litigant who finds your website knows you are a real person with a real presence. No website often reads as: no accountability.
You have nothing to hide
Your fees, your background, your experience — all publicly stated. That transparency is enormously reassuring to someone who has already been burned.
You are findable independently
Google knows you exist by name. When they search for a McKenzie Friend in your town — you appear. Not a network page. You.
You take yourself seriously
Litigants are making a high-stakes decision. A professional online presence tells them you approach this work with the seriousness it deserves.
You don't need a website that looks like a law firm. You need a website that is honest, clear, and human — one that tells a scared person why they can trust you. That's it. That's the whole job.
Let us build it for you — freeWhat you get
- A clean, professional one-page website in your name — built at no cost to you
- Listed in our verified McKenzie Friend directory
- A Bridge The Gap "Verified Supporter" profile badge
- Reach litigants who are actively looking for support
One small cost to be aware of: The website itself is completely free — we build it, we maintain it. The only things you'll pay for are a small hosting and domain fee, arranged through us. We keep this as low as possible — typically in line with standard market rates.
What we ask
- A completed profile submitted through our registration form
- Transparent, clearly stated fees — no hidden charges
- A commitment to our Supporter Code of Conduct
- Acceptance of our standard indemnity terms
Why do we do this?
Bridge The Gap was built because litigants in person deserve the same clarity that solicitors take for granted. McKenzie Friends are a vital part of that system — but the unregulated nature of the sector makes it hard for litigants to know who to trust.
By building websites for verified supporters, we raise the floor. A McKenzie Friend with a professional, publicly accountable presence is one who has committed to transparency. That is what litigants deserve — and that is what this network stands for.
We do not charge for this. We do not take referral fees. We are not a marketplace. We are a platform built on principle.
If you're a litigant reading this — this section is for you
We know how this might look. You're already scared of being set up, sold to, or steered toward someone for the wrong reasons. That fear is completely valid — there are bad actors in this space, and the sector is unregulated. Here's what we want you to know:
You can still make a difference — right now.
Maybe you are still finding your feet. Maybe you are not sure this is the right fit. That is completely fine — there are other ways to be part of what we are building.
- Share a gap you have seen litigants fall into
- Contribute a real experience or court insight
- Help us understand what litigants are missing
- Point us to resources that made a difference
No commitment. No profile. Just insight shared with people who need it.
Every insight you share helps us close the gap between what litigants expect and what actually happens in court. That matters — whatever stage you are at.
See the gaps — and add your ownOr register your profile when you are ready.
Ready to be found by the people who need you?
Register your profile today. Once approved, we'll be in touch to build your site.
Register now — it's freeAlready have a website? You can still register — your existing site will be linked on your profile.