Posts
Controversy over cohabitation rights
As we've mentioned in recent monthly Roundups, the government is currently consulting on three linked areas of family law under the title ‘A fairer end to relationships’. The consultation closes on 14 August. 1. Financial remedies on divorce/dissolution - Although a...
Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup: July 2026
Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW, TRANSPARENCY etc The Law Society Gazette...
‘I want the children to have a relationship with their father but he scares me’
During the Covid lockdown in 2020, a father of three young children experienced a mental health breakdown that led to the police being called and his being sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 and hospitalised for two weeks. He’d separated from his wife a few...
The parent trap: the legal conundrum of surrogacy
This is a guest post by Salomé Ashenden. Salomé holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) from BPP University and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She has experience working as a paralegal and supporting litigants in person, and is due to...
Who is listening to child victims of sexual abuse in private law proceedings?
A new report on research undertaken by Jaime Lindsey (Associate Professor in Medical Law, Oriel College, Oxford) and Joanna Harwood (Lecturer, Essex University Law School) makes a number of recommendations regarding private family law proceedings in England and Wales...
Finding a journalist to attend your family court hearing – update
The new scheme of matching requests for a reporter and journalists who are interested in family court reporting is now up and running - Courting Coverage with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. We wrote about this initiative earlier this month. If you have an...
An observation of a domestic abuse fact finding hearing – a worrying vignette
A much delayed legal blogpost – an explanation In October 2024 I visited the Central Family Court in London. My objective was to observe a hearing before the magistrates. At the time, the Reporting Pilot was in operation and there had been almost no reporting of...
The end of unregulated ‘expert’ witnesses in family courts?
New family court rules spark hope that the ‘days of bogus experts are over': Changes coming into effect this month will keep unregulated experts out of courts in all but exceptional cases is the headline from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) on 10 July....
Legal blogging in Brighton Family Court: Overreach and Overrun?
I went to Brighton Family Court in April 2026, as a legal blogger for a public legal education charity. I observed the Pre-Hearing Review (PHR) of a mother’s 2024 application to vary a contact order made in 2022. This was the fourth set of proceedings between the...
Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup: June 2026
Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW, TRANSPARENCY etc The Law Society...