Used by separated parents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Watch this before you speak to a solicitor.
The Family Court System Was Not Built For You. Court Compass Was.
Nine AI-powered tools built on thirty years of family court experience. Know where you stand. Know what the court thinks about your children. Go in with your eyes open.
Wherever You Are Right Now, Court Compass Was Built For You.
Just Starting To Think About Separation
You want to understand what you are walking into before any lawyers get involved. Court Compass gives you that intelligence before you spend a penny.
Already In Proceedings
You need to understand what is happening, what your documents mean, and what the court actually cares about. Court Compass gives you clarity right now.
The Money Has Run Out
You had a solicitor and barrister and the funds ran out mid-case. You are not starting from scratch. You are continuing with better support than you had before.
Going It Alone From The Start
You never had the money for representation. Court Compass is the resource that should have existed the day this started.
The Numbers Tell Their Own Story.
of private family law cases now have at least one unrepresented party (Ministry of Justice)
of cases have neither party represented, up from 13% in 2013 (Ministry of Justice)
increase in cases with neither party represented between 2016 and 2023 (Law Society of England and Wales)
These are not people who chose to go it alone. Approximately 75 to 80% of them are there because they cannot afford legal fees. The system was built for lawyers. Court Compass was built for everyone else.
Solicitors Are Not Fans Of People Who Represent Themselves.
Major house builders are not fans of self-build.
The system works better when you buy from them. An individual who builds their own home is exercising a legal right the industry did not design for.
Estate agents are not fans of private sales.
You can sell your own home. The industry works better when you need them to do it for you.
Funeral directors are not fans of families who arrange their own funerals.
Entirely legal. The model works better when grief makes you hand everything over.
Family law solicitors are not fans of people who represent themselves. Not because self-representation does not work. Because it threatens their income.
Why John Junk
Thirty Years Inside The Room.
- As a first year student, John beat hundreds of applicants from across Northern Ireland's universities, including undergraduates, graduates and postgraduates, in open merit competition to win an internship at an Ivy League law school, where he worked alongside attorneys at a child protective services agency in the United States
- LL.M in Access to Justice with Distinction, Ulster University
- 2019 Department of Justice Northern Ireland Access to Justice Scholar Award
- Thirty years as a McKenzie Friend in family court across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Granted leave to address the Court of Appeal in both England and Wales and in Northern Ireland
- Court Compass covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does not cover Scotland.
"A barrister once objected to John acting as a McKenzie Friend on the grounds that John was no ordinary man. He was right. And he meant it as a reason to keep John out of the room. Because when John is in the room, the other side's chances go down."
A Real Client. Real Numbers.
"His solicitor sent him a bill for over £20,000. For one month."
John worked with a doctor. A professional man. Educated. Intelligent. His solicitor sent him a bill for over £20,000 for one month of representation. He came to John. Over the four years that followed, John's total fee was £9,000. Less than half of what one month with a solicitor had cost him. And that was before Court Compass existed. What that doctor paid £9,000 for over four years is now inside Court Compass for £197.
That is not a typo.
Here Is What The Court Actually Thinks About Your Children.
The court's starting point, always, is that it is in the best interests of the children to have a relationship with both parents. Not one parent. Both. What you think is best for your children and what the court thinks is best for your children are almost always different things. The framework the court uses is the welfare checklist — found in the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales, and the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 in Northern Ireland. Unless you know what is on it, what weight each factor carries, and how to present your case against it, you are going in blind. Court Compass includes a welfare checklist tool that shows you exactly how the court thinks about your child's situation. Not how you think about it. How the court thinks about it.
Get The Family Court Survival System — £197Nine Tools. Thirty Years Of Knowledge. Available The Moment You Need Them.
Not legal advice. Intelligence.
Legal Letter Translator
Paste in any legal letter and get a plain English explanation of what it actually means and what you should do next.
Welfare Report Analyser
Understand what the children's welfare report is actually saying, whether it comes from CAFCASS in England, Cafcass Cymru in Wales, or the Guardian Ad Litem Agency in Northern Ireland.
Financial Settlement Estimator
Find out where you actually stand on financial settlement. Not what you hope. What is realistic.
McKenzie Friend Court Prep Tool
Prepare for court the way John would prepare you. What to say, what not to say, and what questions to ask.
Position Statement Builder
Build a position statement that presents your case the way the court expects to see it.
Cross Examination Preparation Tool
Prepare the questions you need to ask and the answers you need to give.
Appeal Checker
Find out whether you have grounds to appeal a decision that went against you.
Weight of Evidence Reality Check
Find out which of your arguments will carry weight in a family court and which ones will not.
Welfare Checklist Scorer
Run your situation through the welfare checklist and find out how a family court judge is likely to view what is best for your children.
Before You Pick Up The Phone To A Solicitor, Read This.
The Numbers.
what the median UK full-time worker earns per day (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, October 2025)
what a trainee solicitor, someone not yet qualified, can charge per hour (HM Courts and Tribunals Service Solicitors Guideline Hourly Rates, January 2026)
One hour of a trainee's time costs more than a full day of yours. A qualified partner can charge £400 an hour or more.
The Qualifications.
In England and Wales there is no legal requirement for a solicitor to hold any family law accreditation to take your private family case. In Northern Ireland the Children Order Panel applies only to public law care proceedings. For a private family dispute there is no mandatory specialist accreditation required. A fair few family law solicitors hold an undergraduate degree in something entirely unrelated to law, followed by a conversion course. No specialist panel membership. Your future and your children's future in their hands. At £300 an hour.
John holds an LL.M in Access to Justice with Distinction. Court Compass is £197. You do the maths.
Two Questions You Should Ask Every Professional Before You Let Them Touch Your Case.
- 1.Have you done this before? And how often?
- 2.Has anyone been harmed by you doing this?
John asks these questions of every professional in a medical setting. A solicitor is about to make decisions that will determine how much time you spend with your children, how your finances are divided, and what your life looks like for the next decade. That is not a minor procedure. That is surgery on your family. Ask the questions. The ones who answer confidently and specifically are worth talking to. The ones who look at you like you have no right to ask are the ones to walk away from.
"John has spent thirty years in the balcony. He knows what the performance looks like when it is going well and when it is falling apart. He knows what the person on the stage cannot see because they are too close to it."
The hearing is not where the case is won or lost. The case is won or lost in the days and weeks of preparation and negotiation that happen before anyone stands in front of a judge. In one negotiation John offered a minus number — a figure that went the wrong way entirely — and watched the other side realise in real time that they had completely misjudged the strength of their own case. The liability they believed was over £14,000 came down to £2,500. An 82% reduction. Not by compromising. By understanding the case well enough to shock them into seeing their own weakness.
You Do Not Need A Rottweiler. You Need A Negotiator.
The proceedings drag on for months. Sometimes years. The costs spiral. The children watch their parents tear each other apart through lawyers' letters. And at the end of it those two people still have to co-parent. They still have to be in the same room at parents' evenings and school plays and birthday parties. The Rottweiler did not protect you. The Rottweiler got paid. What you actually need is someone whose aim is to get these proceedings over as quickly as possible, with your sanity intact, and without destroying relationships that your children need to survive.
What A McKenzie Friend Actually Is. And What You Actually Need.
Under the official Practice Guidance governing England and Wales, and the Practice Note revised by the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland in June 2024, a McKenzie Friend has the right to sit beside you in court, take notes, help with your papers and quietly give you advice. Speaking in court requires a separate application and the court grants it sparingly. Most people imagine a well-meaning friend holding their hand. What they actually need is someone who has spent days and weeks working on their case before the hearing, who understands the system from the inside, and who has been granted leave to address the Court of Appeal in two jurisdictions.
"A barrister once tried to have John removed from a case because, in his own words, John was no ordinary man. He was right."
Choose Where You Want To Start.
Every option includes lifetime access to the nine tools. John's time is available at every level.
The Tools
one payment
The Family Court Survival System. All nine tools. Lifetime access. Annual renewal at £97 from year two.
Get Instant AccessTools Plus One Hour
one payment
The Family Court Survival System plus one hour Tactics Talk with John. Tools and personal guidance together.
Get Started With JohnThree Hours
one payment
Three hours of John's time at £165 per hour. Use them for calls, document review, court preparation or negotiation strategy. No expiry.
Book Three HoursTen Hours
one payment
Ten hours of John's time at £127 per hour. Sustained strategic support through the most critical phase of your proceedings. Less than the government guideline floor rate for an unqualified trainee solicitor.
Book Ten HoursJohn In Your Corner Every Month.
Family court proceedings last months. Sometimes years. Every hearing creates new questions. Every letter requires a response. Every development changes the strategy. A monthly retainer means John is available throughout, at a fixed monthly cost with no surprises.
If after your first conversation with John you do not feel you are a good fit, you are free to cancel within 30 days.
Emergency Court Attendance
When You Need John In The Room.
There are moments when a call is not enough. John travels to your court, wherever it is in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and sits beside you for the full day.
Northern Ireland
any notice
NI calls only — < 3 days
full day of call availability
England or Wales — 7+ days notice
England or Wales — 3 to 6 days notice
There is no cancellation on England or Wales packages. Travel, accommodation and logistics are booked immediately after payment clears. Less than 3 days notice in England or Wales is not available.
Sessions available by Zoom, phone or in person in Northern Ireland.
HM Armed Forces Veterans.
Court Compass offers a 25% discount across all products to veterans of HM Armed Forces. To claim your discount, upload your HM Armed Forces Veteran Card at checkout. Physical or digital cards accepted. Do not have your card yet? Apply free at gov.uk/veteran-card. A digital version is available through the GOV.UK One Login app.
Claim Your Veteran DiscountThe Court Compass Guarantee.
If after your first conversation with John you do not feel you are a good fit, you are free to cancel within 30 days. No questions asked.
Let's Get You Through The Forest.
You did not choose this situation. But you are in it. The question now is whether you go through it confused and frightened, or whether you go through it knowing where you stand.
Sessions available by Zoom, phone or in person in Northern Ireland.
References: Ministry of Justice Family Court Statistics Quarterly. Law Society of England and Wales. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings October 2025. HM Courts and Tribunals Service Solicitors Guideline Hourly Rates January 2026. Nuffield Foundation and Ulster University LiP Research Programme 2016 to 2023. Children Act 1989. Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. Practice Guidance McKenzie Friends Civil and Family Courts July 2010. Practice Note 3/2012 revised 7 June 2024 Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.