Domestic abuse: Charities call for end of “state-sanctioned abuse” in court proceedings
A plethora of charities are amongst those calling for urgent reform to better protect women going through the family courts amidst the ongoing practice of domestic abuse perpetrators cross-examining victims. 28 women’s charities, solicitors, and survivors signed a letter addressed to Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab seeking to put an end to the […]
Legal aid rules tweaked to widen access in SEND tribunals
New changes to legal aid rules have come info force enabling foster parents and prospective adoptive parents to access non-means tested legal aid in First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)) appeals. The Ministry of Justice tweaked legal aid rules relating to SEND tribunals following a challenge brought by the Public Law Project (PLP) […]
Cost of living crisis “may delay decision to divorce”
The cost of living crisis could be a reason for couples to delay divorce in order to secure a better financial settlement once assets recover, one London firm has suggested. Lawyers at Payne Hicks Beach have said that with rising costs and gloomy economic outlook, the usual rise in divorce applications in the first few […]
Pre-recorded evidence “could triple” in effort to avoid cross-examination trauma
The use of video technology to give evidence in cases involving crimes including sexual abuse and rape could be set to triple under new plans announced by the Ministry of Justice. It’s said victims in as many as 4,600 cases could pre-record evidence ahead of the main trial. To support this expansion, the government plans […]
Cafcass publishes “top tips” for those involved in the family court
Cafcass has published a new range of accessible “top tips” for parents and professionals involved in family court proceedings. The tips have been written by the Family Forum established by Cafcass in September 2021 as part of its ambition to listen more closely to what families say about their experiences of Cafcass’ work with them. […]
Legal AI platform “marks new era for industry”, says Magic Circle firm
A new legal artificial intelligence (AI) platform has been described as “marking a new era for the legal industry” by one Magic Circle Senior Partner. The platform, known as Harvey, is built on the platform developed by Open AI – the team behind ChatGPT – and has been tested by 3,500 of Allen & Overy’s […]
G v G [2022]: Challenging arbitration in children’s matters
G v G [2022] EWFC 151 sought to establish whether an arbitral award made in relation to children matters can be challenged using the appellate test from the FPR 210 as in the case of Haley v Haley [2020] EWCA Civ 1369, in which a challenge to an arbitral award made in relation to financial remedy […]
Watch your language: Why terminology matters in family law
Why language is so important and impactful on first impressions of family law | By Lydia Holland, Trainee Solicitor, Kingsley Napley As a trainee solicitor, I’ve learnt a lot in a short space of time. On Tuesday 31st January, I had the privilege of attending the Family Solutions Group Language Matters event, and one of […]
The Ombudsman’s Corner: February 2023
In my last column I set out details of the changes we are making to our Scheme Rules on 1st April 2023 with regards to the circumstances in which we can dismiss a complaint. This time, I am going to explain how we are changing our rules in relation to what happens at the end […]
