Victims of domestic violence continue to be cross-examined by their abusers in family courts despite the government the then justice secretary, Liz Truss, pledging in February 2017 to ban the “humiliating and appalling” practice, a report by Women’s Aid and Queen Mary University of London has found. Survivors reported they were repeatedly not believed, blamed…
Five Supreme Court judges will decide whether to let Mrs Owens divorce her husband after lower courts decided she was not entitled to one. They will deliver their judgment later this year. Mrs Owen she says she’s been unhappy for many years and she feels locked in a loveless marriage. However, Mr Owens does not…
The Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to help children living with alcoholic parents. The Department of Health and Social Care is seeking to identify children at risk more quickly, and to provide them with rapid access to support and advice. The package of measures is backed by £6 million funding…
District Judge Read has publicly criticised the lack of funding for a woman alleging rape and sexual assault against her ex-husband, suggesting it may have resulted in a miscarriage of justice. The family court at Middlesbrough heard details of the allegations from the woman in a case to decide what contact her 10-year-old daughter should…
Adam Lennon, head of family modernisation and improvement at HM Courts & Tribunals Service, told a Westminster Legal Policy Forum that enabling people to apply for a divorce online could eliminate up to 13,000 hours of time spent by court staff checking divorce petitions. Lennon spent years in the courts service issuing divorce petitions. He…
HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the President of the Family Division have announced that the digital C100 application form will be piloted in family courts in Reading, Milton Keynes, Watford and Guildford. The new digital C100 offers an opportunity to improve the way in which HMCTS supports users and presents information to judges…
Children affected by a family break-up will be helped to stay in contact with their grandparents under reforms being contemplated by ministers in Scotland. They are considering a legal presumption that children stay in touch after a divorce or separation. At present, grandparents have no legal entitlement to their grandchildren. Currently, grandparents in Scotland can…
Sir James Munby, president of the high court’s family division said no-fault divorce should be introduced to help women who are “trapped in a loveless marriage”. He backed calls for a reform of marriage law by referring to a controversial case which has forced a woman to stay married to a man she wishes to…
The rise of cryptocurrency, and in particular Bitcoin, means divorcing couples may use the currency to hide their wealth from one another. While couples have a duty to provide full and frank disclosure during a divorce, they said it is not unheard of for some parties to attempt to hide their assets from their respective…
In his 18th View from the President’s Chambers, Sir James Munby has set out his vision of what needs to be done in respect of the determination of financial remedies. He considers that procedural justice will be bettered by the appointment of specialist judges to the Financial Remedies Court (FRC) and by a process of…