Looking for help in your family court proceedings?Bridge The Gap is a free, community-built guide to UK family court, written by litigants and McKenzie Friends, for litigants. Real observations, plain English, and people who can help.
An Independent McKenzie Friend Directory — Not a Lead-Generation Network
Understanding the difference matters. Here is what makes Bridge The Gap different.
Not all McKenzie Friend directories are equal. Some operate as commercial lead-generation services — capturing enquiries, matching clients to practitioners within their network, and taking referral fees or commissions. Bridge The Gap was built as an alternative: an insight-first, litigant-focused platform where McKenzie Friends are listed transparently.
The Gaps
Family court is full of things nobody warns you about.
We call them Gaps — the difference between what people believe about family court and what actually happens. Reading them before your hearing could change everything.
What a commercial lead-generation model looks like
Commercial McKenzie Friend networks typically work like this: a litigant searches for help, lands on the directory, fills in a form, and is matched to a practitioner within the network. The network charges the practitioner — either per lead, as an ongoing membership fee, or as a percentage of fees earned. The litigant does not always know this is happening. It is not illegal. But it does create incentives that may not align with the litigant's best interests.
How Bridge The Gap is different
Bridge The Gap does not sell leads. We do not charge referral fees. We do not take commission from practitioners. We do not lock McKenzie Friends into commercial membership arrangements. Our directory is built on verification and transparency — practitioners are reviewed on experience, conduct, and pricing clarity, then listed so litigants can make their own informed choice.
Why this matters to litigants
When you are facing family court proceedings — often at the most stressful point of your life — you deserve to access practitioners directly, clearly, and without hidden costs.
Why this matters to McKenzie Friends
Professionals building genuine practices deserve to be visible on their own terms — not locked into a commercial directory that mediates their client relationships and takes a cut of their income.
Did you know?
Most people go into family court believing things that simply aren't true.
The Gaps are short, honest explanations of the most common family court misconceptions — written in plain English, not legal jargon. Each one covers what people believe, why that belief exists, and what the court reality actually is.
How Bridge The Gap Can Help
McKenzie Friends
Browse our directory of court support professionals.
Find SupportFamily Court Reality
Plain-English analyses of the most common family court misconceptions — so you know what to actually expect.
Explore the GapsResources & Guides
Access guides to court forms, procedures, and resources to help you prepare and present your case effectively.
View ResourcesFrequently Asked Questions
Your experience matters
Have you been through family court? You know something others don't.
The Gaps are built from real litigant experiences. If you discovered something in your case that nobody warned you about — something that changed how you understood the process — your contribution could help someone else avoid the same shock.
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