Magazine - Family Law

Here we are in the second month of the second decade of the twenty first century. How many of us have even considered what we learnt about our personal relationships in the first month of this decade, let alone in the last decade? How much have we moved forward relationships-wise, personally and professionally, and how do we measure it, even if we know we have?

Set against a backdrop of all but diminished faith in our political system, raw suspicions about our justice system and a growing anxiety over any real economic recovery... the government’s latest Green Paper, Support for All, may be, both in terms of financing family policy and the framework needed to bring these matters to the fore, just too little too late.

Last week the new levels for legal aid funding were announced. The cuts for private family law work represent a 40-50% reduction in the amount that law firms will be paid, according to Resolution. The only problem is that it is not just the lawyers who are squealing, but families who have a very real need of assistance to enable them to access justice.

Guidelines for Judges meeting Children in Family Proceedings: Avoiding the Chinese Whisper