“Thousands of family hearings that take place behind closed doors will be opened to media this month, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, said yesterday.”
The Times, 7th April 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Happily most people will never meet a family law barrister professionally. Those who do, however, will almost certainly be at a time of great crisis in their life. From an acrimonious breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership to the State intervening to remove children who medical or social work professionals believe (rightly or wrongly) to have been abused, any family from any background may find themselves litigating before the family courts. I remember one week when I represented both a prostitute and a peer of the realm (not, on this occasion, in the same case).”
The Times, 25th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Ministers’ plans to open the family courts to the media have been hailed as a signifiant reform. But is all as it seems? The proposals are coming under fire — and not just from disgruntled members of the public who will still be denied access to the hearings. ”
The Times, 24th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Lawyers acting for vulnerable children and families have today joined forces with the leading children’s charity, the NSPCC, to call for a Parliamentary inquiry into the state of the family justice system.”
The Bar Council, 16th March 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Expert family barristers are being driven away from their work to represent the interests of vulnerable women and children as a result of repeated cuts in legal aid pay, a new report says.”
The Bar Council, 9th March 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org
“The family courts system is at ‘breaking point’ and thousands of vulnerable women and children at risk of abuse are going without legal help, according to a report.”
The Times, 6th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“With widespread job cuts and a recession in full swing, the news is hardly front page — but fresh hostilities have broken out over cuts to legal aid.”
The Times, 16th February 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“For District Judge Edwina Millward, justice secretary Jack Straw’s announcement that the family courts are to be opened up to the media raises considerable concerns.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 12th February 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“The Family Procedure Rule Committee has published details of its work in November and December 2008.”
Ministry of Justice, 27th January 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“The Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association have expressed concern over plans, announced by the Ministry of Justice, to roll up payments to barristers and solicitors into a single advocacy fee, putting at risk effective access to justice for those who need most protection.”
The Bar Council, 19th December 2008
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“The announcement by Jack Straw that the media are to be given access to the courts at all levels is likely to be welcomed by the judiciary. At last they will be able show the world at large that there is no conspiracy or injustice going on.”
The Times, 18th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Family court hearings are for the first time to be opened to accredited media, Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced today, in an oral statement in the House of Commons.”
Ministry of Justice, 16th December 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“The secrecy of the family courts – in which nearly 95,000 cases are heard in private each year – is to end under reforms announced yesterday that will allow the media access to all levels of the system. The move could mean that social workers and expert witnesses who fail children, and now enjoy the protection of anonymity, will in future be named publicly when criticised by judges.”
The Times, 17th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The veil of secrecy surrounding care proceedings and the family courts will finally be lifted, Justice Secretary Jack Straw is expected to announce.”
Daily Telegraph, 16th December 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The Family Procedure Rule Committee is seeking views on draft new Family Procedure Rules.”
Ministry of Justice, 28th November 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Family Division
“Practitioners in family proceedings representing a parent who was also involved in some other relevant matter such as an immigration or housing dispute or criminal case had an ongoing duty to remain au courant with those other issues.”
The Times, 26th November 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
The Autonomy of the Citizen in the Context of Family Law Disputes (PDF)
Speech by The Honourable Mr Justice Ryder
Conkerton Memorial Lecture 2008
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
WLR DAily, 7th November 2008
Source; www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
© Inner Temple Library 2024