Those interested in drawing up marriage, cohabitation, or pre-nuptial contracts on their own can be directed to the self-help kit. However, contracts drawn up using self-help kits are often overturned in Court. Independent legal advice is extremely important in order to have enforceable marriage or cohabitation agreements, and persons wishing to rely on a pre-nuptial agreement are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of a lawyer.

The new ''FLA'' attempts to increase the enforceability of marriage, cohabitation, and pre-nuptial contracts, and to provide clearer guidelines for the circumstances under which they can be binding. Agreements will be binding on the parties whether or not a family dispute resolution professional has been consulted, and whether or not the agreement has been filed with a court. Agreements will be binding on children who are parents or spouses (Part 2, s 6).