Family

Articles

Courts rapidly becoming lawyer-free zones

Child contact, residency and maintenance payments issues are being decided on without the input of solicitors or barristers

Quickie divorces unrealistic in heartbreak hotel

Tania Derrett-Smith and Louise Jackson doubt Divorce Hotel's promise of separating after a weekend away

Solicitors unable to draft divorce petitions correctly

Poorly prepared D8 forms are causing unnecessary delays because lawyers won't read the guidance notes, explains District Judge Nigel Law

The challenge of understanding domestic abuse

The CCTV video clip showing American football star Ray Rice flooring his fiancée with a single blow in an Atlantic City casino elevator, has put domestic abuse back at the top of the news agenda.

Children's Commissioner report suggests justice system is failing young people

Children unable to resolve complex legal problems because of lack of access to specialist advice

Barristers shed wigs and gowns to offer fixed fee divorce service

Direct access approach encroaches on high street firms as legal aid cuts bite barristers' pockets

Presumed dead

The new Presumption of Death Act is a much-needed update that will bring clarity and relief to an inadequate area of law, says Lloyd Junor

Transparency in the family courts: unanswered questions

Following Sir James Munby's recent proposals to open up the family courts to the public, Sarah French looks at the practicality and implications of the proposals