Ditch the witch : But which witch law needs ditching?

by reporting watch team | Jul 30, 2020 | FCReportingWatch

Oh dear. Headline in last week’s Independent : Fathers4Justice launches bizarre ‘Ditch The Witch’ campaign outside Johnny Depp court case The standfirst below said : Johnny Depp-Amber Heard story is ‘best advert for divorce in the world’, fathers’ rights group...

Family court stat spike due to covid? Not remotely so.

by Jo Edwards | Jul 30, 2020 | Comment, FCReportingWatch

This is a guest post by Jo Edwards, who tweets as @MissJoEdwards. Last Sunday morning started pleasantly enough.  Sun peeking through the shutters after being a no-show the day before; a cup of tea in bed; a visit to the gym looming and the prospect of...

The Spotlight Review on domestic abuse – where does it fit in with other court reforms?

by Julie Doughty | Jul 24, 2020 | Comment, Consultations, FCReportingWatch

The work undertaken by the ‘spotlight panel’ appointed by the Ministry of Justice, reported in what is being referred to as the ‘harm report’, has already been commented on here and here. Its full title is ‘Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law...

Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

by Alice T | Jul 18, 2020 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

Welcome to this month’s 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 COURT MATTERS The Express...

Recusal refusal: judge declines to step down in response to litigant’s suspicions of apparent bias

by Paul M | Jul 17, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation

In an earlier post we described how a judge refused to allow a McKenzie Friend to speak in court on behalf of a litigant in person. In a further judgment in the same case, Ameyaw v McGoldrick [2020] EWHC 1787 (QB), Mrs Justice Steyn refused the litigant’s application...

A remote private FDR in an ordinary case

by reporting watch team | Jul 15, 2020 | FCReportingWatch

This is a guest post from an anonymous contributor. Context A financial dispute resolution hearing (or “FDR”) is an essential appointment in a financial remedies application, when divorcing couples need to sort out their finances and property. A judge will hear brief...

WHO DECIDES WHO DECIDES? WITHDRAWAL OF CARE PROCEEDINGS

by Guest Post | Jul 14, 2020 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a guest post by Laura Vickers. Laura is a specialist children law barrister and mediator practising at No5 Barristers’ Chambers. She tweets as @LauraVickersNo5 Where a local authority determines that the medical evidence falls short of proving that...

The family court and vulnerable people

by Jack Harrison | Jul 11, 2020 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

What approach should the family court adopt when dealing with vulnerable people and those with disabilities?  Judges and magistrates of the family court deal with some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Quite often, people will find it difficult to...

Another view on the government ‘spotlight review’ report – on how the family courts treat domestic abuse

by Guest Post | Jul 8, 2020 | Comment, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

This is a guest post by Ursula Rice. Ursula is a Solicitor-Advocate and Director at Family First Solicitors. She tweets as @tweetygraffity. We hope to publish more posts about this Review in the coming days. You can read previous posts here and here. On...

Right of audience denied: McKenzie Friend not allowed to speak for litigant who was ‘well able to speak on her own behalf’

by Paul M | Jul 5, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation

The recent case of Ameyaw v McGoldrick [2020] EWHC 1741 (QB) offers a cautionary tale about McKenzie Friends and what they can and can’t do for you in court. In this case the judge, Mrs Justice Steyn, refused to allow the MF to make oral submissions on behalf of...