Legal aid cuts will cost more in long run, say judges – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2011 in family courts, judiciary, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

“Courts could grind to a standstill as hundreds of thousands of people represent themselves in legal cases, senior judges have warned.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Couple given children back after judge overturns court ruling – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 22nd, 2011 in appeals, child abuse, evidence, family courts, news by sally

“A couple have been reunited with their children after a family court’s decision to separate them was overturned by a judge who criticised the ‘brisk’ nature of the original hearing.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 22nd February 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Family lawyers hail new code – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 14th, 2011 in civil justice, family courts, news by sally

“Family lawyers have welcomed last week’s publication of the long-awaited Family Procedure Rules 2010, which will come into force on 6 April.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 13th January 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Family courts have lost authority, warns judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 29th, 2010 in children, family courts, news by sally

“A High Court judge has warned that the family court needs to reassert its authority to tackle the ‘lack of respect’ shown for its orders.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lets hear it for the child; Restoring the Authority of the Family Court, Blue skies and Sacred cows – Speech by Mr Justice Coleridge

Posted November 29th, 2010 in children, family courts, judiciary, speeches by sally

Lets hear it for the child; Restoring the Authority of the Family Court, Blue skies and Sacred cows (PDF)

Speech by Mr Justice Coleridge

Association of Lawyers for Children: 21st Annual Conference, 26th November 2010

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Legal aid cuts would remove free advice for thousands of people – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2010 in family courts, housing, legal aid, news by sally

“Hundreds of thousands of people with family and housing law problems will no longer have access to free legal advice under government proposals announced today (15 November).”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Family court service Cafcass criticised by MPs – BBC News

Posted November 11th, 2010 in family courts, law centres, news by sally

“The organisation which provides legal help for children in care cases is ‘not fit for purpose’, a group of MPs says.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th November 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord chief justice calls for reform of family system

Posted October 27th, 2010 in children, custody, family courts, news by sally

“The adversarial court system is not appropriate for settling parental disputes over the custody of children, the lord chief justice said today.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 26th October 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

What next for the family courts? – BBC Law in Action

Posted October 19th, 2010 in family courts, podcasts by sally

“The family justice system has been criticised from all angles. It’s been described as a slow, bureaucratic system that is bursting at the seams leaving families torn apart by its unfriendly and adversarial nature. In the first of a new series of Law In Action Joshua Rozenberg speaks to the Head of the Family Court Division Sir Nicholas Wall about what the future holds and how the sytem can be changed to help those caught up in it.”

Podcast

BBC Law in Action, 19th October 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family court media reporting delays ‘wise’ – BBC News

Posted October 19th, 2010 in family courts, media, news by sally

“The government was wise to defer a decision on whether the media should be able to report family court hearings, according to a senior judge.”

Full story

BBC News, 19th October 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Reporting of family court hearings still under review – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 14th, 2010 in family courts, media, news by sally

“The decision on whether to bring into force provisions to change the restrictions on media reporting of family court hearings, will be decided after the publication of the Family Justice Review’s final report next year.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 11th October 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Chancery Lane calls for appraisal system for family judges – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 7th, 2010 in family courts, judiciary, news by sally

“An appraisal system should be introduced for family judges, so that they can hear feedback on their performance and to reassure the public about the quality of the judiciary, the Law Society has suggested.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 7th October 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Society wins family tender challenge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 1st, 2010 in family courts, Law Society, legal aid, news, tenders by sally

“The Law Society has won its High Court challenge to the Legal Services Commission’s family tender process.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette. 30th September 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Girl persuades judge not to send her back to Canada as Middlesbrough is ‘more exciting’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 24th, 2010 in appeals, child abduction, children, family courts, news by sally

“The schoolgirl who was ‘abducted’ from her father’s home in Canada by her English mother won the right not to return after telling judges: “I never, never in my whole life want to go back there. The 13-year-old made clear her determination to stay in the Teesside town when Lord Justice Thorpe and Lady Justice Smith took the unique step of holding a private interview with her halfway through a hearing at London’s Civil Appeal Court.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th September 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Is the family justice system in need of review? – Speech by Lord Justice Wall, President of the Family Division

Posted September 24th, 2010 in family courts, judges, speeches by sally

“Is the family justice system in need of review? – Speech by Lord Justice Wall, President of the Family Division, 19th September 2010.”

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 19th September 2010

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Call for Evidence – Family Justice Review – Ministry of Justice

Posted September 22nd, 2010 in consultations, family courts, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“The Call for Evidence for the Family Justice Review closes on 30 September – so just a few days left for people to provide feedback about the way the system can be improved.”

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Ministry of Justice, 22nd September 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Publishers protest at reporting restrictions in family court cases – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2010 in family courts, legislation, media, news, reporting restrictions by sally

“The Newspaper Society has complained that the Children, Schools and Families Act has made legal cases covered by the Act less transparent because they are virtually unreportable.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ to review media reporting in family courts – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 16th, 2010 in family courts, Ministry of Justice, news, reporting restrictions by sally

“The Ministry of Justice has told the Gazette that it will not commence legislation that would extend the media’s right to report family cases without ‘looking closely’ at the changes, amid pressure from family lawyers.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 16th September 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Family judges alarmed over legal aid tender – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 10th, 2010 in family courts, judiciary, legal aid, legal services, news, tenders by sally

“The head of the family courts has warned the Legal Services Commission that he has been ‘inundated’ by family judges expressing serious concerns over the outcome of the family legal aid tender, in a letter seen by the Gazette.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 9th August 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Children left in danger by court delays – The Guardian

Posted August 9th, 2010 in child abuse, children, family courts, news, social services by sally

“Children are being damaged by unprecedented delays in the family courts in England and Wales, where judges can now take up to 65 weeks to decide whether it is safe for them to remain with their parents, Britain’s largest children’s charity says today.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th August 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk