McKenzie friend heroes: Shaun O’Connell, McKenzie Friend and lay advocate

For those out there who have never been a McKenzie friend and might feel constrained by the President Guidance of 14th October 2008 here, have a look at what really happens in court in this interview with a real life McKenzie friend, Shaun O’Connell. Shaun was one of the dads in the seminal Court of Appeal McKenzie friend case  ‘In the matter of the children of Mr O’Connell, Mr Whelan and Mr Watson [2005] EWCA Civ 759, [2005] 2 FLR 967 that was a crushing defeat for some of the haters in the judiciary and legal profession.

This case and the perfect storm of activity in 2005  by FNF and F4J was instrumental in what became Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 1976 (L. 18 ) The Family Proceedings (Amendment No 4) Rules 2005, and brought McKenzie friending out of the dark ages.

Shaun, we salute you!!! You will go down in history with people like Dr Michael Pelling, Bernard Greenwood and Ian Mackay (sadly deceased) who fought for the rights of litigants in person during a hostile and shameful period in our legal history.