Eugene Pienaar attends your hearing as your McKenzie Friend. Non-practising solicitor. Family court, employment tribunal and civil courts across England and Wales.
You remain the litigant in person throughout. Eugene cannot speak to the court unless the judge grants a right of audience.
All fees agreed upfront before any work begins. Free 20-minute scoping call first.
Up to four hours in court. Suitable for shorter hearings including FHDRAs and preliminary hearings.
Full day court attendance. Suitable for final hearings, fact-finding hearings and full ET hearings.
McKenzie Friend support for telephone or video hearings. Same legal knowledge, delivered remotely.
A McKenzie Friend is someone who accompanies a litigant in person to a court hearing to provide assistance. The right to have a McKenzie Friend is well established in English law and confirmed by Practice Guidance issued by the Lord Chief Justice in 2010.
A McKenzie Friend can sit beside you in court, help you organise your documents, take notes and quietly suggest questions or points to raise. They cannot address the court, examine witnesses or act as your legal representative unless the judge specifically grants a right of audience.
Most McKenzie Friends have no formal legal qualifications. Eugene is a qualified solicitor admitted in England and Wales and South Africa. He is also an accredited mediator and the founder of Be Your Best Lawyer. The legal knowledge he brings to your hearing is the same knowledge he would bring as a practising solicitor — without the practising certificate and without the cost.
That distinction matters. A McKenzie Friend with genuine legal training can identify legal arguments you might miss, spot weaknesses in the other side's position and help you present your case in the language the court expects.
Every McKenzie Friend attendance includes a pre-hearing strategy session. Eugene reviews your documents, identifies the key issues the judge will focus on, and helps you prepare how to present your case and respond to the other side. Arriving at court with a clear strategy — rather than hoping it will come together on the day — makes an enormous difference.
Eugene attends court hearings as a McKenzie Friend in a personal capacity. He is not acting as a solicitor of record. He has no automatic right of audience — if you want him to address the court you must make an application and the judge will decide. This is the standard position for all McKenzie Friends and is made clear to the court where relevant.
Book a free 20-minute call. Eugene will confirm what support is right for your hearing and what it will cost.