Disclaimer
What this website is — general legal information for England and Wales — and what it is not.
DRAFT — pending review by a qualified solicitor. Not yet in force. This disclaimer is a working draft published for transparency while the site is being prepared.
Legal information, not legal advice
Everything on this website — the guides, flowcharts, checklists and tools — is general legal information. It explains how processes in the family courts of England and Wales usually work. It is not legal advice: it is not tailored to your circumstances, and it cannot tell you what you should do in your particular case.
If you need advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified solicitor or an advice organisation such as Citizens Advice. If you may qualify for legal aid, check at gov.uk/check-legal-aid.
No solicitor-client relationship
Phoenix Family Law is not a firm of solicitors and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Using this website, contacting us, or engaging our paid support services does not create a solicitor-client relationship, and nothing we publish or provide is protected by legal professional privilege.
Accuracy and keeping content current
We work hard to keep the information on this site accurate and up to date with current law, court rules and guidance. Family law and court procedure change, so:
- pages carry a "last reviewed" date once their content has been checked against current law and guidance;
- we review guide content on a rolling basis and correct errors as soon as we find them;
- despite this, we cannot guarantee that every page is complete, accurate or current at the moment you read it — always check critical points (fees, forms, deadlines) against the official sources we link to, such as gov.uk.
England & Wales only
This website covers family proceedings in the courts of England and Wales only. The law and procedures in Scotland, Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions are different, and nothing here should be relied on for proceedings outside England and Wales.
External links
We link to external websites — official sources, charities and support services — because we believe they are useful. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy or availability. A link is not an endorsement of everything a site says.
Your safety
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If you cannot speak safely, call 999 and then press 55 when prompted to be connected to the police silently.
Every page of this site has a "Quick exit" button at the top. It immediately takes you to an unrelated website and replaces this page in your back button. Please be aware that it cannot delete your wider browsing history or clear traces elsewhere on your device — if someone monitors your device, consider using private browsing or a safer device, such as a library computer, a work computer or a trusted friend's phone.