How Do McKenzie Friends Create Court-Ready Bundles?
What is BundleCreator for McKenzie Friends?
BundleCreator is court bundle software designed for McKenzie Friends supporting self-represented litigants in UK Family Courts. It provides PD27A-formatted templates that require no legal training, automatic pagination and indexing, secure client document sharing with activity tracking, and court-ready PDF export. It reduces bundle preparation time by 70%.
Source: BundleCreator User Research, 2025
What Results Do McKenzie Friends Report?
Efficiency improvements for supporting self-represented litigants.
Time Reduction
Bundle preparation time saved versus manual methods
Source: BundleCreator User Survey, 2025
Court-Ready Formatting
Bundles formatted to align with PD27A requirements
Source: BundleCreator Technical Specification
Access
Create and share bundles from anywhere, anytime
Source: BundleCreator Platform
UK rules for McKenzie Friends and litigants in person, 2026
Hard rules from primary UK practice guidance. Use these alongside the bundle tools below.
| Stat | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| McKenzie Friend permission — court's discretion | Strong presumption in favour unless compelling reason against | Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends (Civil & Family Courts) 2010 |
| Family Court bundle filing deadline (PD27A) | By 11am one working day before hearing | PD27A para 6.4, FPR 2010 |
| Family Court bundle page guideline | 350 pages or 1 ring binder | PD27A para 5.1, FPR 2010 |
| Right of audience — McKenzie Friend | May provide moral support, take notes, quietly suggest questions; cannot conduct litigation or address court without specific leave | Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends 2010, paras 1–3 |
| C100 child arrangements application fee — 2026 | £232 | GOV.UK EX50 fees schedule |
| Help with Fees — full remission threshold | Disposable monthly income £210 or below (single, no children) | GOV.UK Help with Fees scheme (EX160A) |
| Family Court bundle minimum font size | 12pt | PD27A para 4.4, FPR 2010 |
Why Do McKenzie Friends Choose BundleCreator?
No Legal Training Required
Court-ready templates guide you through creating professional bundles. The software handles PD27A formatting automatically.
Automated Pagination
Automatic page numbering, indexing, and table of contents generation saves hours of manual work on every bundle.
Court Compliance
All bundles are automatically formatted to align with Practice Direction 27A requirements for UK Family Court submissions.
Secure Client Sharing
Password-protect bundles and share securely with clients. Control who can view, edit, or download documents.
Activity Tracking
See when shared bundles are accessed. This transparency prevents claims that documents weren't received.
Multiple Case Types
Templates for Financial Remedy, Child Arrangements, ToLATA, and all major UK Family Court case types.
How Do McKenzie Friends Use BundleCreator?
Choose Your Case Type
Select from Family Law templates including Financial Remedy, Child Arrangements, or ToLATA. Each template includes required sections.
Upload Client Documents
Drag and drop documents into appropriate sections. BundleCreator automatically numbers pages and creates the index.
Organise and Review
Reorder documents, add descriptions, and ensure everything is properly organised before sharing with your client.
Share with Clients
Generate a password-protected link for your client to review the bundle before court submission.
Export for Court
Download the court-ready PDF with table of contents, pagination, and bookmarks ready for filing.
Where the line sits — McKenzie Friend scope
Two minutes on what a McKenzie Friend may and may not do under the Practice Guidance (McKenzie Friends) 2010.
Knowing the Boundary
What a McKenzie Friend Can and Cannot Do
Based on LSA 2007 Schedule 2 paragraph 4, McKenzie v McKenzie [1971] P 33 and the 2010 Practice Guidance. May-do vs may-not-do, in plain English, in two minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need legal qualifications to use BundleCreator as a McKenzie Friend?
No legal qualifications are required. BundleCreator is built for McKenzie Friends, paralegals, advocacy workers, and litigants in person. Over 370 hearing-specific templates carry the structure, headings, and yellow-highlighted prompts that explain what each section needs. Practice Direction 27A pagination, indexing, and bookmarking happen automatically. The Practice Guidance: McKenzie Friends 2010 confirms McKenzie Friends do not need to be legally qualified to provide reasonable assistance to a litigant in person.
Can McKenzie Friends share bundles with their clients?
Yes. McKenzie Friends generate time-limited, password-protected sharing links that let clients review the assembled bundle in a browser before any hearing. Access permissions are granular — view-only, comment, download — and every share is logged with timestamps. AES-256 encryption applies at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit. The litigant in person remains the document owner; the McKenzie Friend works as an authorised collaborator with revocable rights.
What case types can McKenzie Friends create bundles for?
BundleCreator covers every major UK Family Court matter a McKenzie Friend is likely to encounter. Templates include Financial Remedy (Form E, ES1, ES2 schedules), Child Arrangements (C100, position statements, Section 7 reports), ToLATA property disputes, Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders (FL401), and FHDRA and DRA bundles. Civil small-claims, SEND tribunal evidence packs, and Employment Tribunal bundles also ship as standard. The software does not provide legal advice.
How does activity tracking help McKenzie Friends' clients?
Every shared bundle records who accessed it, from which device, and when each section was opened. The activity log functions as evidence of document delivery — useful when an opposing party claims they did not receive a witness statement or position paper. Litigants in person frequently feel out-manoeuvred in procedural disputes; a timestamped access log levels that ground. Logs are immutable and remain available for audit.
How much does BundleCreator cost for McKenzie Friends?
BundleCreator offers four pricing options. Essential at £19.99 per month covers up to 15 bundles, suitable for McKenzie Friends supporting one or two clients. Pro at £39.99 per month covers up to 40 bundles, typical for active McKenzie Friends. Platinum at £79.99 per month covers up to 100 bundles. Pay-as-you-go at £12 per bundle suits one-off cases without commitment. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Explore More Resources
Legal Notice: BundleCreator provides technology tools for document organisation. McKenzie Friends are not legal professionals and cannot provide legal advice. Users must comply with court rules regarding McKenzie Friend assistance. Statistics based on user surveys; individual results may vary.