A new business offering lower-cost support to Islanders navigating the court system has launched in Jersey, aiming to bridge the gap between hiring a lawyer and representing yourself.
Launched by Emma Vautier on Thursday, Support for Court will aim to offer practical assistance to people appearing as “litigants-in-person” – those who go through court proceedings without legal representation.
Ms Vautier said the idea grew out of her own difficult experience of court proceedings and subsequently helping friends with paperwork and other practical tasks.
“Just a divorce petition is 36 pages, and a lot of it you don’t need. You just struggle through.
“When you’re on your own filling out a form that’s 36 pages long, it’s horrific. Court greffiers will help, but it’s still really overwhelming and daunting.”
Unlike a lawyer, Support for Court will not provide legal representation.
Instead, its services will focus on helping clients navigate the court system, understand terminology and forms, compile files, meet deadlines and upload documents.
Ms Vautier is also working with what she described as a “trusted panel” of lawyers, an accountant, a GP and counsellors, while aiming to keep the cost of the service below that of using a lawyer for the same practical tasks.
Clients could therefore continue using their existing lawyer for legal advice while receiving “backup” assistance from Support for Court with the administrative side of a case.
The concept is similar to that of a “McKenzie friend”, commonly used in courts in England and Wales and elsewhere. They can provide practical support, take notes and quietly advise a litigant, but do not have the same role or rights as a lawyer.
Currently, she says divorce is the “most-asked-for” area, though she has also helped someone navigate Petty Debts proceedings.
She said lawyers she had worked with recognised the gap in the market, describing it as “gaping”.
The business is now being supported by Northern Irish incubator CynestX.
Ms Vautier said she particularly hoped the model could eventually help victims of abuse, with a longer-term ambition to use a corporate arm of the organisation to fund free support for those unable to afford it.
