Crisis in private family law: As I mentioned here on Friday, the former President of the Family Division Sir James Munby has warned about a ‘crisis in private family law’, in a speech that he prepared for a conference on shared parenting in Edinburgh (in the event he did not deliver the speech, as he was unable to attend […] More
Public support for legal aid The public overwhelmingly supports legal aid, the Law Society has said, as it marked the anniversary of the government’s review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (‘LASPO’), which abolished legal aid for most private law family cases. The Society said that public backing was strongest for funding […] More
House of Lords considers divorce Bill Consultation on divorce finances: Last Wednesday, the 5th of February, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill, which aims to introduce a system of no-fault divorce, had its second reading in the House of Lords, where it was introduced. The debate was quite long, lasting over three hours, and I […] More
A week in family law from John Bolch, This week it is all about domestic abuse, divorce centres, transparency and child maintenance. Domestic abuse prosecutions down A bulletin containing prosecution data for quarter 2 2019-2020 has been published by the Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’). In relation to domestic abuse, the data shows that the total […] More
This week in family law, John Bolch looks at domestic abuse, child support and divorce. Domestic abuse prosecutions A joint report published by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has concluded that the handling of evidence led domestic abuse prosecutions (i.e. where the victim […] More
A week in family law: Stalking protection orders As I reported here in this post, new Stalking Protection Orders (‘SPOs’) have now come into force. According to the Home Office, SPOs will allow courts in England and Wales to move quicker to ban stalkers from contacting victims or visiting their home, place of work or […] More
Just two ‘real’ family law stories this week, although one of them was a biggie. More funding for troubled families Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP has announced that families with deep-rooted problems will receive support to get their lives back on track, with up to £165 million of new funding. The funding for the Troubled […] More
The current state of family justice In December we were treated to the latest edition of the View from The President’s Chambers, the regular(ish) update on the state of family justice from the President of the Family Division, currently Sir Andrew McFarlane (I put it that way as the View was originated by Sir Andrew’s […] More
