This page sets out how Family Legal Ltd is registered, how the company handles information, and which services are regulated and which are not. Being clear about this is more useful to a visitor than any claim about quality.
Corporate registration
Family Legal Ltd is a private company limited by shares, registered in England and Wales. The company number is 16431127. The registered office address is Access Business Centre, Willoughby Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8FB, United Kingdom. Family Legal Ltd is registered for VAT under registration number GB 504 2090 38.
Data protection
Family Legal Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO registration number is shown in the footer of every page on this website and links to the entry on the public register.
Each brand in the portfolio handles personal information under its own privacy notice. A person who uses one of the services should read the privacy notice on that brand’s own website, because what is collected and why differs between a mediation service and a free information site.
Regulated and unregulated services
This is the section most worth reading carefully. Family Legal Ltd is not itself a firm of solicitors. Each professional who works on a matter is regulated by the body that governs that profession, and three regulators apply across the group.
Family mediation is a regulated service. Family mediation in England and Wales is regulated by the Family Mediation Council (FMC), which sets the professional standards, the code of practice and the complaints route that every registered family mediator works to. Every mediator working within the Family Legal Ltd group is registered with the Family Mediation Council and appears on its public register.
Where work is carried out by a solicitor, that work is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Every practising solicitor appears on the SRA register, which anyone can search.
Where work is carried out by a barrister, that work is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
In each case the regulator of that profession, rather than Family Legal Ltd, is responsible for the professional conduct of the person doing the work, and a complaint about that conduct goes to that regulator.
Some services in the portfolio provide legal information and document preparation. These are not regulated legal services and do not involve legal advice on an individual situation. Where a matter needs regulated advice or representation, that work is carried out by an independent solicitor or barrister.
Regulatory arrangements differ between the brands in the portfolio. The profile page for each brand states its position, and the brand’s own website gives the full detail.
Legal aid
Legal aid mediation services are available through eligible services within the Family Legal Ltd group, subject to eligibility and service availability. Legal aid for family mediation is means tested. Not every service in the portfolio is funded by legal aid.
Professional standards
Family mediation in England and Wales is delivered by mediators who work to the professional standards set for the field. Family Legal Ltd expects every mediator working under its brands to hold the authorisation required for the work they carry out, and to keep it current.
Where a matter is handled by a solicitor or a barrister, that professional is regulated by their own professional body and is bound by its code of conduct. Family Legal Ltd does not supervise their professional judgement.
Complaints
Complaints about a service are handled by the brand that provided it, because the people who can put something right work there. The complaints page explains how to raise a complaint and what happens next.
Website ownership and transparency
Every website in the portfolio is listed on this corporate site, with a profile page stating what the brand does and its relationship to Family Legal Ltd. A visitor to any brand website can find out who is behind it.
Where a brand publishes information rather than selling a service, that brand says so. An information site in this portfolio is not a disguised sales channel.
Information security
Family Legal Ltd holds personal information about people going through some of the most difficult periods of their lives. That information is handled accordingly. Access is limited to the people who need it to deliver the service.
Responsible use of technology and artificial intelligence
Family Legal Ltd uses technology to make services efficient and information easier to find. Technology is used to support the people delivering a service, not to replace the judgement of a qualified professional.
Where a service uses artificial intelligence, that will be stated on the service itself, along with what it does and what it does not do.
Accessibility
This website is built to meet recognised accessibility standards. The accessibility statement sets out what has been done and how to report a problem.
Clear information for consumers
Family Legal Ltd publishes prices where a service has a price, states the regulatory position of each service, and distinguishes clearly between a service and free information. A person should be able to tell, within a few seconds of arriving on any brand website, what is being offered and by whom.