The McKenzie Friend: Choosing and Presenting a Courtroom Companion is a NSRLP guide for self-represented litigants, written by Judith DaSilva and Julie Macfarlane.

A “McKenzie Friend” (MF) is a support person who sits with a SRL at the front of the courtroom. A MF cannot address the court, but they can organize and hand the SRL their documents as needed, take notes for review after the hearing, and above all help a SRL to stay calm and centred . MFs are used widely in courts in the UK and Australia, but the concept is relatively new in Canada. In this NSRLP guide, Judith and Julie suggest ways to evaluate what help a support person might give and how to pick the “right” person, as well as how to present a request for a MF to a judge.

Find the print version of this primer here:

http://representingyourselfcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/McKenzie-Friend-FINAL.pdf

Visit the NSRLP at:

https://representingyourselfcanada.com

The McKenzie Friend Audio Copy

National Self-Represented Litigants Project