Need a McKenzie Friend? A McKenzie friend assists a litigant in person in a common law court.
Apr 4, 2009
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</div> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">McKenzie Friend</h1>
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<h3 id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</h3>
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<p>A <b>McKenzie friend</b> assists a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litigant_in_person" title="Litigant in person">litigant in person</a> in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law" title="Common law">common law</a> court.</p>
<p>This person does not need to be legally qualified. The crucial point
is that litigants in person are entitled to have assistance, lay or
professional, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Their role
was set out most clearly in the eponymous 1970 case <i>McKenzie v. McKenzie</i><sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_note-0" title=""><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> Although this role applies in the jurisdiction of England and Wales, it is regarded as having its origins in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law" title="Common law">common law</a>
and hence has been adopted in practice in other common law
jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. The
role should be distinguished from that of an <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amicus_curiae" title="Amicus curiae">amicus curiae</a></i>, a "friend of the court" who provides information for the benefit of the court.</p>
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<h2>Contents</h2>
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<ul><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#The_Original_McKenzie_Friend"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">The Original McKenzie Friend</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#Contentiousness"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Contentiousness</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#What_a_McKenzie_Friend_does"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">What a McKenzie Friend does</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#What_a_McKenzie_Friend_cannot_do"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">What a McKenzie Friend cannot do</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#Financial_basis"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Financial basis</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#McKenzie_Friends_in_different_jurisdictions"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">McKenzie Friends in different jurisdictions</span></a>
<ul><li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#Singapore"><span class="tocnumber">6.1</span> <span class="toctext">Singapore</span></a></li></ul>
</li><li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#Notes"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Notes</span></a></li></ul>
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<p><a name="The_Original_McKenzie_Friend" id="The_Original_McKenzie_Friend"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">The Original McKenzie Friend</span></h2>
<p>The original McKenzie Friend was an Australian barrister in London, Ian Hanger, now a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QC" title="QC">QC</a>,
whose qualifications in law in Australia did not allow him to practise
as a barrister in London. Hanger was sent the brief by the firm of
solicitors, Geoffrey Gordon & Co for McKenzie one day prior to the
hearing. McKenzie was unable to afford legal assistance, didn't qualify
for legal aid, and had not maintained consistent contact with Gordon.
Hanger sat with his client to provide what quiet assistance he could
from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_association" title="Bar association">bar</a>
table to a man representing himself. The trial judge asked Hanger to
desist from doing what he was doing and this became the basis of the
appeal by Gordon against the judgment against McKenzie.</p>
<p><a name="Contentiousness" id="Contentiousness"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Contentiousness</span></h2>
<p>In English courts, where a case is being heard in private, the use
of a McKenzie Friend has sometimes been contentious. This is a
particular problem in family court hearings, where it has been held
that the nature of the case is so confidential that no one other than
the litigants and their professional legal representatives should be
admitted to the court.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_note-1" title=""><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p>A 2005 Court of Appeal case, <i>In the matter of the children of Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Whelan and Mr. Watson</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_note-2" title=""><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup>
clarified the law in this area. The result of the appeal has
legitimised the use of McKenzie Friends in the family court and allowed
the litigant to disclose confidential court papers to the McKenzie
Friend.</p>
<p><a name="What_a_McKenzie_Friend_does" id="What_a_McKenzie_Friend_does"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">What a McKenzie Friend does</span></h2>
<ul><li>Sometimes able to enter a police station custody area, where a
friend or relative is being held prisoner, whereas a relative or friend
would not normally be allowed in.</li><li>Provides moral support.</li><li>Provides sensible (non-legal) advice.</li><li>Speaks quietly to the litigant in person during the hearing.</li><li>Take notes during the hearing.</li><li>Assists with sourcing legal forms and templates of submissions.</li><li>Edits documents.</li></ul>
<p><a name="What_a_McKenzie_Friend_cannot_do" id="What_a_McKenzie_Friend_cannot_do"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">What a McKenzie Friend cannot do</span></h2>
<ul><li>Act as a legal representative.</li><li>Exercise <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_audience" title="Rights of audience">rights of audience</a>, unless
<ul><li>invited to speak by the judge, or</li><li>in hearings in a local small claims court.</li></ul>
</li></ul>
<p><a name="Financial_basis" id="Financial_basis"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Financial basis</span></h2>
<p>Although in many cases a McKenzie Friend may be an actual friend, it
is often somebody with knowledge of the area giving up their time on a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono" title="Pro bono" class="mw-redirect">pro bono</a></i> basis. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-pocket_expenses" title="Out-of-pocket expenses">Out-of-pocket expenses</a>, if requested, are typically covered by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litigant_in_person" title="Litigant in person">litigant in person</a>.</p>
<p>Since <i>McKenzie Friends</i> are not legal representatives, they
cannot charge their time to the case at legal rates. A nominal hourly
rate is recognised by some courts for the purposes of recovering costs
from the other side in the event of a win.</p>
<p>McKenzie Friends may be liable for any misleading advice given to
the litigant in person but are not covered by professional indemnity
insurance.</p>
<p><a name="McKenzie_Friends_in_different_jurisdictions" id="McKenzie_Friends_in_different_jurisdictions"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">McKenzie Friends in different jurisdictions</span></h2>
<p><a name="Singapore" id="Singapore"></a></p>
<h3><span class="mw-headline">Singapore</span></h3>
<p>In September 2006, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_system_of_Singapore" title="Judicial system of Singapore">Subordinate Courts of Singapore</a>
started a pilot project called the Lay Assistant Scheme in which
persons, usually with some legal knowledge, attend hearings with
litigants who are not represented by lawyers to advise them on
non-legal issues and help them with administrative tasks. The scheme, a
modification of the U.K.'s McKenzie Friend system, is intended to
assist litigants who are not eligible for legal aid as they have an
annual salary exceeding S$10,000 but cannot afford a lawyer. For the
litigant to qualify, the other party must be legally represented.</p>
<p>Lay assistants are not allowed to act as lawyers and may not address
the court; any breach of court rules may render them liable to a
maximum fine of $1,000 or imprisonment of up to six months.</p>
<p>Plans for introducing McKenzie Friends in court proceedings were first announced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Justice_of_Singapore" title="Chief Justice of Singapore">Chief Justice</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Sek_Keong" title="Chan Sek Keong">Chan Sek Keong</a> in May 2006. Students from the Pro Bono Group of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_University_of_Singapore#Law" title="National University of Singapore">Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore</a>, have been participating in the scheme.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_note-3" title=""><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup></p>
<p><a name="Notes" id="Notes"></a></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Notes</span></h2>
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-0"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_ref-0" title="">^</a></b> [1971] P 33; [1970] 3 WLR 472; [1970] 3 All ER 1034, CA</li><li id="cite_note-1"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_ref-1" title="">^</a></b> "<a href="http://www.fnf.org.uk/law-and-policy/mckenzie-friends" class="external text" title="http://www.fnf.org.uk/law-and-policy/mckenzie-friends" rel="nofollow">McKenzie Friends</a>" (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2006-08-30"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_30" title="August 30">30 August</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006" title="2006">2006</a></span>), from the website of <a href="http://www.fnf.org.uk/" class="external text" title="http://www.fnf.org.uk" rel="nofollow">Families Need Fathers</a>.</li><li id="cite_note-2"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_ref-2" title="">^</a></b> <a href="http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2005/759.html" class="external text" title="http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2005/759.html" rel="nofollow">[2005] EWCA Civ 759</a>, available on-line from the website of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Access_to_Law_Movement#BAILII" title="Free Access to Law Movement">British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII)</a>.</li><li id="cite_note-3"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McKenzie_Friend&printable=yes#cite_ref-3" title="">^</a></b> Ansley Ng, "<a href="http://www.todayonline.com/articles/164112.asp" class="external text" title="http://www.todayonline.com/articles/164112.asp" rel="nofollow">Law Undergrads in Court's Pilot Scheme</a>", <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today_%28Singapore_newspaper%29" title="Today (Singapore newspaper)">Today</a></i> <a href="http://www.todayonline.com/" class="external autonumber" title="http://www.todayonline.com" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2007-01-05"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_5" title="January 5">5 January</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007" title="2007">2007</a></span>).</li></ol>
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