Criminal silk Andrew Langdon used his inaugural speech as chairman of the bar in December to relate his unusual journey to the leadership. When Haile Selassie was overthrown as emperor of Ethiopia in 1974, Langdon’s parents were in the country working on a farm. The family was forced to flee at gunpoint and came to …
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill receives its second reading
Home > News Baroness Deech’s private member’s bill seeks to replace section 25(2) of the MCA 1973 The Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill received its second reading on 27 January 2017 and has been committed to the Committee of the whole house on a date to be announced. The bill is a private member’s bill introduced by …
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Alaskan divorce courts to treat pets more like children
Home > News New law provides for joint ownership of family animals The Animal Legal Defense Fund of the United States has reported in its blog that Alaska has become the first state in the country to empower judges to take into account the “well-being of the animal” in custody disputes involving non-human family members. …
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Allowing councils to opt out of legal duties to ‘experiment’ with service delivery will place childr…
In just a few months, the Family Court has seen its budget shrink from £2.4bn to £1.6bn. These cuts, as well as ongoing delays in improving the system, are wreaking havoc on society’s most vulnerable families. The latest set of concerns stem from the drastic reduction in legal aid, which also saw the government implement …
Assisted reproduction: consent given for first child is valid consent for second child (High Court)
In P and others (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008) [2017] EWHC 49 (Fam), Munby P held that the consent given by the birth mother’s partner, to being the parent of any child born by assisted reproduction for the first child born, is valid for any second child born by further assisted reproduction. This judgment …
Encrypted Skype authorised for vulnerable father with agoraphobia to participate in proceedings (Fam…
16th View from the President’s Chambers: Children and vulnerable witnesses: where are we?
In relation to recommendation 2, I said that I had been arguing for a similar bar in the Family Court to that in the Youth and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 ‘but without success to date’. I observed that ‘There are clear resource implications so this is properly a matter for ministers.’ I added, ‘I have …
Family Mediation Week highlights £48 billion cost of family breakdown to the taxpayer as charity cal…
Family Mediation Association spokesperson, Beverley Sayers added: ‘Family Mediation Week helps raise awareness amongst separating couples that lawyers and courts aren’t their only divorce option. If both parties can stay patient and open minded, there are much better and cheaper alternatives to going to court,including mediation, and collaborative family law and arbitration. These are usually …
The deprivation of a child’s liberty
The making of a secure accommodation order lies at the extreme end of the court’s powers. However, they are not uncommon. They are, in fact, fairly regularly used in relation to teenagers who put themselves in risky and harmful situations, apparently through choice. Such an application will usually arise following a period of time in …