Posts
What’s the point of a judgment?
This is a guest post from Alexander Chandler KC. The post originally appeared on Alex's Family Brief blog here and is republished here with thanks to Alex. Alex tweets as @familybrief. Examples, Authorities and the Panopticon Cast your mind back to the first time you...
What the pilot saw: an everyday case management hearing in the Family Court
This month once again having a day to spare I headed off for a bit more legal blogging at East London Family Court. This time I was able to observe a case which remains as yet unresolved, yet the omens seem good. The hearing I attended was covered by the Reporting...
‘Paedophiles to be stripped of parental rights’? and other failed legislative amendments
UPDATE 13 May 2024 - see below at end of point 1.** A few days ago, there were a number of amendments to legislation going through Parliament that tried to address widespread concerns and (if they were passed) would have had significant impact on family law....
Serious medical treatment – the importance of the public record
This is a guest post by Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) reproduced with his permission from the Mental Capacity Law and Policy blog. In 2014, a (relatively) very long time ago, Sir James Munby, then President of the Court of Protection, issued guidance on the publication of...
Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup
Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family court cases, explain and comment on published family court judgments and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW MATTERS The Independent (16...
Making cases smaller – while ensuring a fair trial
We’ve noticed a number of recent family court judgments where Mrs Justice Lieven in the High Court is seriously attempting to tackle some of the causes of delays in family court cases and also addressing problems created by the scarcity of publicly funded resources....
Another happy ending in East London Family Court – legal blogging under the extended Reporting Pilot
Returning to East London Family Court after my first experience of legal blogging under the Reporting Pilot (recently extended to this court), I was able to see another judge at work and to witness yet another happy resolution to what had evidently been a long and...
Open Letter to the LCJ: HMCTS guidance on public access to courts
Dear Lady Chief Justice, We write on behalf of the Courts and Tribunals Observers’ Network, a UK-based initiative focused on how the public can be supported to observe courts and access court information in digital and physical environments, to express our concerns...
It’s out! New edition of Transparency in the Family Courts
"The publication of this excellent book is extremely welcome," said Sir Andrew McFarlane when Transparency in the Family Courts: Publicity and Privacy in Practice, written by three of our trustees, Julie Doughty, Lucy Reed KC and Paul Magrath, was first published, in...
Happy endings in East London Family Court – legal blogging under the extended Reporting Pilot
The transparency Reporting Pilot, launched a year ago in just three courts, has recently been expanded to a further 16 courts, one of which is East London Family Court. As that court is within easy reach by public transport, I decided to investigate its potential for...