The Family Court Playbook — Volume 2: Strategy & Psychology — What Judges Actually Look For

Knowing the process is not enough. You need to understand 

how family courts actually work — how judges think, how 

decisions are really made, and how to position yourself 

so that the outcome the court reaches is the one you need.

This is the strategy guide. The thinking behind every 

decision that wins cases. The psychology of proceedings 

that your barrister understands — and bills you to apply.

PART ONE — HOW JUDGES ACTUALLY THINK

The welfare checklist is not a scorecard. Judges exercise 

genuine discretion. This section explains what they are 

actually looking for in a litigant — and how most people 

get it wrong.

PART TWO — THE STRATEGY OF APPEARING REASONABLE

The open offer — what it is, why sending one early changes 

the entire dynamic, and why most litigants in person never 

use it. When to push and when to concede. The 

counterintuitive truth about appearing reasonable — and 

why it makes you stronger on the things that matter.

PART THREE — THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CREDIBILITY

Specific beats general — every time. Why the composed 

parent wins. How to handle the moments when composure 

fails. The trap of being right — and why it loses cases.

PART FOUR — READING THE ROOM

What a judge thinks when a litigant in person walks in. 

How to read a hearing in real time — the signals judges 

give that most people miss entirely.

PART FIVE — THE TIMELINE STRATEGY

Why delay hurts some cases and helps others — and how to 

know which situation you are in. The long game: why cases 

that look lost at month three often turn at month nine.

WHAT YOU GET:

✓ Complete strategy framework for family proceedings

✓ Written by a qualified solicitor (non-practising) who 

 has been a litigant in person himself

✓ PDF — instant download, lifetime access

✓ Volume 2 of The Family Court Playbook series

Legal fees don't guarantee outcomes. Preparation does.

Also available: Volume 1 (What Nobody Tells You) and 

Volume 3 (How to Last the Distance). Buy all three 

together and save £8 — The Complete Family Court Playbook.

For educational purposes only. Not legal advice.

Eugene Pienaar is a non-practising Solicitor of the 

Supreme Court of England and Wales.