Family Law

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In the post-legal aid reforms era of Family Justice, litigants in person face an ever-increasing struggle to navigate the world of family law without professional representation. The use of Personal Support Units (PSU) in civil justice centres across the country is gaining momentum as more and more units have opened and are engaging in providing support to those unable to afford legal assistance.

In January 2014 a new Personal Support Unit was opened at the Bristol Civil Justice Centre and Paul Bryson was recruited to establish a team of volunteers and co-ordinate the service. The Family Law team at

Although volunteers are often from the law community an essential feature of the training programme is to ensure that volunteers do not attempt to give legal advice. The role is one of practical and emotional support and cannot encroach upon legal matters. Although this can be difficult for those who have spent their career offering legal advice it is something volunteers are able to adapt to and it is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of the service.

In his experience the type of support offered is invaluable to court users who often just want to tell someone their side of the story and feel unable to move on to taking the next legal step without having done so. Paul highlighted that it is often the simple functions that the unit performs which are the most important such as just sitting down and having a cup of tea with court users or just offering a friendly face in an unfamiliar setting.

The majority of cases dealt with by the PSU are family cases, primarily involving children, but they are available to deal with all civil matters including money and housing issues.

So far the PSU has been welcomed by members of the judiciary and legal profession. Paul commented that the PSU is not in a position of competing with law professionals, but is merely offering a non-legal service because professional help is unascertainable to some people. In some instances court users will later instruct a solicitor if they are able to or will continue to litigate themselves with the support of the PSU. In either instance the judiciary and legal representatives involved tend to be appreciative of the assistance they provide. The liaison judge in