Courts and tribunals opening times over Easter 2023
Opening times for courts and tribunals over the Easter period. Our courts and tribunals will temporarily close over the Easter period, from Friday 7th to Monday 10th April 2023. They will reopen on Tuesday 11th April 2023. Some magistrates’ courts will be open on Saturday 8th and Monday 10th April 2023, but for remand hearings […]
Surrogacy: ‘Revolutionary’ changes could see intended parents recognised in law from birth
Newly proposed surrogacy reforms which could see intended parents automatically recognised as legal parents from birth have been welcomed with open arms by family lawyers. Wednesday saw the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission publish their long-awaited recommendations for reforms to “outdated” surrogacy laws which the authors say has “failed […]
Separating families facing mandatory mediation under new plans
Mediation is set to become mandatory in thousands of suitable low-level family court cases in what has been described as a “major shake-up to the family justice system”. This will mean separating couples have to attempt to agree their child custody and financial arrangements through a qualified mediator with court action being a last resort. […]
Domestic abuse victims to be given right to challenge dropping of cases under new reforms
Domestic abuse and rape victims are set to be given the right to challenge the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the dropping of their case as part of a slew of new reforms announced by the Ministry of Justice. The Victims and Prisoners Bill, which the government says will “cement victims’ voices at […]
Government announces multi-million-pound investment into legaltech
The Ministry of Justice has announced £3 million of investment aiming to “turbocharge” the development and use of technology in the legal sector. CodeBase and Legal Geek will receive the funding as new providers of the government-backed LawtechUK programme. CodeBase is one of the country’s largest incubators which has helped hundreds of start-ups grow and […]
Unregulated accommodation for those in care aged 16 and 17 set to be banned
All supported accommodation providers for 16 and 17-year-olds in care will be required to register with Ofsted and meet quality standards from October 2023 onwards, the Department for Education has announced. This aims to put an end to children living in poor quality homes with no meaningful oversight. Providers can start registering from April 2023, […]
New Access to Justice Foundation grant ‘set to help thousands get early legal help’
The Access to Justice Foundation has been awarded funding to administer the “Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support” grant. The Ministry of Justice says the grant “will help thousands more people get access to early legal help”. This comes after the government announced £12 million of new grant funding in November 2022. This new grant will […]
Supporting Families: ‘Flagship’ programme receives additional funding
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has announced over 100,000 more families are set to receive support under the government’s “flagship” Supporting Families scheme. Up to £233.5 million has been allocated to the programme for 2023/24 following £1.9 billion allocated over the past 10 years, meaning families facing issues such as domestic […]
Parental alienation: Court considers issues related to instruction of experts in proceedings
Re C (‘Parental Alienation’; Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam): Red Light Spells Danger – but not a definitive embargo on instructing unregistered and unchartered psychologists | By Laura Bumpus of Deka Chambers In determining the applicant mother’s appeal against an order made by HH Judge Davies refusing her permission to reopen findings of […]
Not just detriment: A more detailed look at Hudson v Hathway
Extended feature: Freeths’ Robert Hill examines the issues around Hudson v Hathway [2022] EWCA Civ 1648 The seminal decision in Hudson v Hathway was handed down on 14th December 2022, shortly before the Christmas break. It prompted something of a flurry in the legal press, particularly as the decision confirmed that which many practitioners had […]
Surrogacy: The strict approach to consent
When a child is born following a surrogacy arrangement, under English law, the surrogate will always be considered the child’s legal mother, regardless of whether there is a genetic link between her and the baby. If the surrogate is married or in a civil partnership at the time of conception, their spouse or civil partner […]
