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Family law guide
Part of: Your First Family Court Hearing
Our family court guides help you prepare for a hearing at a specific court in England and Wales. Each one explains where the court is, how to get there and what to expect when you arrive. Find your court in the regional lists below. If this is all new to you, start with our guide to your first family court hearing.
Court details such as opening hours and phone numbers can change. So, before you travel, always check your hearing notice and the official GOV.UK court finder.
Reviewed by: Hannah Overton, Complex Children Specialist & Client Support, Kabir Family Law
Our family court guides are written for someone walking into that building for the first time. Most of them cover the points below, although the detail varies from court to court.
| What the guide covers | How it helps you on the day |
|---|---|
| Address and contact details | You go to the right building, and you know how to reach the court if something changes. |
| Getting there and parking | You can plan your journey, so you are not rushing in at the last minute. |
| Access and facilities | You can ask for the support you need before the day, not at the door. |
| What happens at a family hearing | You have a rough picture of the day, so fewer things take you by surprise. |
| When to get advice | You know when it makes sense to speak to a specialist before your hearing. |
Your hearing notice tells you. Look for the court’s name and address, the date and start time, and your case number. The court on your latest notice is the one you attend, even if you live nearer to another court.
However, different parts of one family’s case can be heard in different buildings. For example, our Edmonton County Court guide explains that financial remedy cases for that area go to Central Family Court instead. So read every new notice carefully, even when the case feels familiar.
If your notice names a court that is not on this page our our family court guides, look it up on the GOV.UK Find a Court or Tribunal service. It lists courts and tribunals in England and Wales, with their addresses and opening times.
Our family court guides are grouped by region below. Choose your court’s name to open its guide.
If your court is not in our family court guides yet, the preparation steps below still apply to any building.
The Family Court is a single national court for England and Wales. It was set up by section 31A of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, which came into force on 22 April 2014. It does not have one building of its own. Instead, it sits in hearing centres across both countries, which is why so many different buildings appear in our lists.
As a result, the name on your notice might be a county court, a combined court or a justice centre. Either way, the family court guides above are sorted by building, so find the name on your notice and open that guide.
Whichever building you are going to, a few simple steps make the day calmer. They do not replace advice about your own case. Even so, together they help you arrive with a clearer head.
Start with your hearing notice, because it names the court dealing with your case, and that may not be the closest one. To find a court for any other reason, use the GOV.UK Find a Court or Tribunal service, which lists courts in England and Wales. Then check our regional lists above for a guide to that building.
No. People often look for a family court UK-wide, but the Family Court only covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own courts and rules. For that reason, the guides on this page apply to England and Wales only.
Usually only the people involved. Under rules 27.10 and 27.11 of the Family Procedure Rules, most family hearings are held in private. The parties, their advisers, witnesses and court staff can attend, and so can accredited journalists. However, members of the public cannot simply walk in, although the court can allow other people to attend.
The preparation steps on this page still apply to any family court in England and Wales. First, look up the building on the GOV.UK court finder. Then read our guide to your first family court hearing for what usually happens on the day. If anything on your notice is unclear, contact the court or speak to a specialist.
A court date can make everything feel urgent and uncertain at once. You do not have to face it alone. Book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances before your hearing date. Meanwhile, our guide to your first family court hearing walks you through what usually happens.
A common mistake is travelling to the court named on an old letter. Hearings can be moved to another date or another building, so always go by your most recent notice. Keep every court letter in one folder, and check the newest one the evening before. If two letters disagree, contact the court before you set off rather than guessing on the morning.
Garry Steedman, Family Law Consultant (Divorce, Children & TOLATA)
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Short videos from the Kabir Family Law team, explaining family law in plain English.
We are a team of legally trained family law and divorce specialists with years of experience across all areas of family law. We are not part of a firm of solicitors, do not undertake legal reserved activities unless permitted and are therefore entirely independent. Please subscribe to our mailing list.
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