Children and money

FP8 form: tell the court and the other party that your solicitor has changed or stopped acting

Form FP8 is the notice of change of solicitor in family proceedings. It tells the court and every other party that a party's solicitor has stopped acting and the party will now act in person, or that a new solicitor has been instructed.

Fill in the FP8 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the FP8

Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.

Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the FP8 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official FP8. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.

Time and money

On your own: An hour or two
With Wren: 15 to 30 minutes
Solicitor for this form: £250 to £4901 to 2 hours

A solicitor’s time for the FP8 can run to £490. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes 15 to 30 minutes rather than an hour or two.

Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.

Official title: Notice of change of solicitor: Form FP8
Edition: 01.23 (4 pages). A Welsh and English version is also published on the same GOV.UK page.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who serves it: The party, or their solicitor where one is acting, serves it on every other party, and on the former solicitor when a solicitor is changed or the party will now act in person.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Filing: The notice is also filed with the court, in the court office where the case is proceeding. The filed notice must say that it has been served.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Until it is done: The former solicitor is treated as still acting for the party until the notice is filed and served, or the court orders that the solicitor has ceased to act.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Address for service: The notice must give the party's new address for service. A party who will now act in person must give an address within the United Kingdom.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Advocate only: A solicitor appointed only to act as an advocate at a hearing is not treated as acting for the party, and no notice is needed for that.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the FP8

A party whose solicitor has stopped acting and who will now represent themselves fills in box A. When a solicitor is instructed, including by someone who was acting in person, the new solicitor usually fills in box B and files it. Under FPR 26.2(2) it is the party, or the party's solicitor where one is acting, who must serve and file the notice.

When it is used

When a party changes solicitor, starts using a solicitor after acting in person, or stops using a solicitor and will act in person (FPR 26.2(1)). Until the notice is filed and served, the rules treat the former solicitor as still acting, so documents may keep going to them.

Before you start

The case number and the name of the court, from any court letter or order.
The names of the applicant and the respondent as they appear on the court papers.
The name, firm and address of the solicitor who has stopped acting or is being replaced.
The address where court documents should be sent from now on.
The names and addresses of every other party, so a copy can be served on each of them.

How to fill in the FP8

Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.

Page 1: the case and box A

You give the court, the case number, the applicant and the respondent. Box A is the one for a party whose solicitor has ceased to act and who will now act in person. It asks for the former solicitor's name, firm and address.

Page 2: box B and box C

Box B is for a newly instructed solicitor, who gives their name, says whether they act for the applicant or the respondent, and names any previous solicitors. Box C is a tick to confirm that notice has been served on every party and on the former solicitor.

Page 3: where documents should be sent

This page asks for the address, phone, DX number, email and reference to which documents should be sent. It is headed for a solicitor's address and has no separate box for a party acting in person, so court staff can tell you how the court office expects that address to be given. Everyone served with the notice will see what is written here.

Page 4: signing

The person giving notice signs and dates the form and ticks who they are: a party, a party's solicitor or a party's litigation friend.

Prepare your FP8 with Wren Family

Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.

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Free for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.

What happens after you send it

Once the notice has been filed and served, documents in the case go to the new address for service. If a solicitor has stopped acting but no notice is given, the solicitor can ask the court for an order that they have ceased to act (FPR 26.3), and in limited cases another party can ask for one (FPR 26.4). After such an order, the party must give a new address for service (PD26A paragraph 5.1).

Common mistakes

Assuming that once a solicitor stops working on the case, documents will stop going to them. The rules treat them as still acting until the notice is filed and served.
Filing the notice without serving a copy on every other party and on the former solicitor.
Leaving out an address for service, which the notice must give unless an exception applies.
Writing an address that is being kept confidential on a notice that every other party will receive.

Common questions

My solicitor has stopped acting for me. What does the court need?

FPR 26.2 says a party who intends to act in person after having a solicitor must serve notice of the change on every other party and on the former solicitor, and file it with the court. Form FP8 box A is the form for this.

Do I need to fill in FP8 if I have just instructed a solicitor?

The rule applies, but it is usually the new solicitor who completes box B and files and serves the notice. A solicitor instructed only to speak for you at one hearing is not treated as acting for you.

What if my address is confidential?

FPR 26.2(3) says the notice need not give the address where a party's address is not being revealed under FPR 29.1. A copy of FP8 goes to every other party. Form C8 is used to keep contact details confidential.

Is there a fee?

The form and its GOV.UK page do not mention a fee. Check with the court office if you are not sure.

Where these facts come from

These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.

Last checked against its sources on 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.