‘A High Court judge has sought once and for all to close three-year proceedings brought by a litigant in person, saying it is not fair to use court time to indulge the matter any further.’
Law Society's Gazette, 9th August 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Mr Justice Hayden is a High Court Judge who has been very outspoken about the potential for the court process to be abusive of those who are already victims of domestic abuse. In a case called Re A (a minor) (fact finding; unrepresented party) [2017] EWHC 1195 (Fam), having permitted the unrepresented father to directly question the mother (albeit with special measures in place so they didn’t have to confront each other by line of sight) he memorably said ‘Never again’. Hayden J said it was ‘a stain on the reputation of our Family Justice system that a Judge can still not prevent a victim being cross examined by an alleged perpetrator’. Today he has published an appeal judgment overturning a fact-finding decision in a case where another judge tried to cross examine the mother on behalf of the father accused of rape because (Hayden J said) the process was unfair and the decision unsound. The full judgment can be read here : PS v BP [2018] EWHC 1987 (Fam) (27 July 2018), but this blog post explains it.’
Transparency Project, 30th July 2018
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘The outgoing head of the family courts in England and Wales has raised concerns about access to family courts and said help for litigants who had to represent themselves due to cuts to legal aid was “woefully inadequate”.’
The Guardian, 27th July 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A new rule giving judges the power to order lawyers to share notes of hearings with litigants in person is being proposed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Another new rule would put the parties under an explicit obligation to disclose to the other side communications with the court.’
Litigation Futures, 17th July 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘There was good and bad news from Parliament yesterday for opponents of the Civil Liability Bill as its consideration by MPs was delayed but chances of it being amended receded.’
Legal Futures, 6th July 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Victims of domestic violence continue to be cross-examined by their abusers in family courts more than a year after the government promised to stop such ordeals, a report has found.’
The Guardian, 30th May 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Matthew Richardson, barrister, Coram Chambers explains why a case, described by the judge as “the most unsatisfactory” he has heard and in which ‘had one or both of these parents been represented … probably the outcome would have been very different’, serves as an alarming lesson in just how far our justice system has fallen.’
Family Law Week, 4th May 2018
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
‘A litigant in person (LiP) is not to be given “special treatment” as the rules in the part of the law his case concerns are neither hard to find nor “particularly difficult to understand”, the High Court has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 24th April 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The High Court has turned down a public funding challenge from a litigant in person who believed a government body was acting against him.’
Law Society's Gazette, 5th April 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A litigant in person’s contentious probate claim, part of which was dismissed by a High Court master as “no more than tittle tattle”, needs a proper hearing, a judge has decided.’
Litigation Futures, 5th April 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals: Assisting Access to Justice.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 20th March 2018
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘The proportion of applications to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal by litigants in person (LiPs) has gone up by 50% in the last 10 years, the Master of the Rolls has said.’
Legal Futures, 20th March 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘On 21 February 2018 judgment was given in the case of Barton -v- Wright Hassall LLP [2018] UKSC 12.’
Zenith Chambers, 26th February 2018
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
‘The rule committee should look at clarifying whether a law firm LLP which acts for itself in legal proceedings is a litigant in person for the purposes of the CPR, the Supreme Court has said.’
Litigation Futures, 1st March 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Litigants in person should not be seen as an unwelcome problem for the court, judges have been told in 422-page guidance on equal treatment issued by the Judicial College.’
Law Society's Gazette, 1st March 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A lack of representation may mean that litigants in person (LiPs) are afforded some latitude in case management decisions and in hearings, but it will “not usually justify” applying a lower standard of compliance with rules or court orders, the Supreme Court said today.’
Litigation Futures, 21st February 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Mr Barton is a seasoned litigator. He first sued, and eventually settled with, lawyers who had dealt with financial relief proceedings for him. The defendants in the later Barton v Wright Hassall LLP [2018] UKSC 12 acted for him in his claim against those original lawyers after Wright Hassall (WH) had come of the court record in a dispute over fees. WH sued him for their fees and obtained a summary judgment. Mr Barton, acting in person (a litigant in person (LiP)) claimed against WH in professional negligence.’
Family Law, 22nd February 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘The Supreme Court today narrowly rejected a plea from a litigant in person for special dispensation in navigating civil procedure rules. Justices ruled by a majority of 3-2 in Barton v Wright Hassall that unrepresented claimant Mark Barton should have checked whether he could email a claim form and that without such permission his claim was invalid.’
Law Society's Gazette, 21st February 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Sue Brookes, Senior Associate with Mills & Reeve LLP analyses the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during December 2017.’
Family law Week, 10th January 2018
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
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