Knowledge and resources

Fiona Connah reports back on the seminar “The Rise of the Neutral – a systemic approach”, presented by Carolyn Hanes and Jane McCann, at the Dr Conference 2019.

In this article from The Review, David Lister, Chair of YRes, reports back on the YRes Conference 2019.

This annual workshop was a perfect opportunity to step back and think about the ways and methods of accreditating family law mediators. Ian Walker reports for The Review.

This was the main question which arose for determination in H v W [2019] EWHC 1897 (Fam), in which deputy High Court judge Clare Ambrose carried out a detailed analysis of the scope of s57 of the Arbitration Act 1996, in the context of a financial arbitration under the IFLA scheme.

The new 160-page guide to pensions on divorce is “a stiff read”, but given the expertise of its authors, it should be mandatory reading for family practitioners. Mark Penston reports on it for The Review.

Universal credit has been on the cards for what seems like years now, but its malign effects are starting to show up in cases. Anita Mehta looks at this for The Review.

Nicki Norman, Acting co-chief executive of Women’s Aid, reports for The Review on how Women’s Aid has been campaigning for safety first policies and measures in the family courts.

The FPRC want views from practitioners on whether Calderbank offers should be admissible in considering conduct for the purposes of r28.3 FPR. The deadline for responding is 31 October 2019. So what are the pros and cons?

As with most things in life, there are positives and negatives of McKenzie Friends, as personal experience and the case law show.

Whilst studying at law school, I volunteered for the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) as a McKenzie Friend, assisting victims of domestic abuse in obtaining non-molestation and occupation orders in the courts. This gave me a personal insight into how the work of McKenzie Friends can be invaluable.

Feedback on the Judicial Executive Board’s consultation on McKenzie Friends shows there is still a broad range of views on the current position and possible changes. So what are the ground rules?

Are you ready for the new SRA standards, regulations and guidance? They provide more flexibility than before, but that doesn’t mean they are less onerous.

Lady Hale’s speech on “What is a 21st century family” is a must read for any family practitioner. It provides a thorough summary of how the law has treated the concept of a “family” over the past 50 years and, by doing so, points forward to how it may develop. In this article for The Review Bethan Carr breaks down Lady Hale's speech.

In this article on collaborative practice for The Review Brian Cantwell and Mary Shaw talk about how working together with families can lighten the load – for everyone

It was heartening to see Sir Andrew McFarlane, the new President of the Family Division, and Sir James Munby, the former President, open their discussion at the PSU ‘Future of the Family Division’ event in October by talking about the importance of wellbeing for family law professionals.

The rules around the validation of overseas divorces are not clear-cut, and may require expert evidence from the country where the divorce was obtained

The degree of recalcitrance in this case was rare but not unique, and reminds practitioners to ensure clients comply with their obligations, including full and frank disclosure, from the outset

Making sure LiPs know the purpose of individual hearings on the day, as well as – more generally – understanding their point of view, can help them without compromising our client’s best interests

A practitioner’s guide to obtaining external funding in financial remedies cases

Our new guide sets out the steps members should take to ensure they have arrangements in place and know what to do if you are concerned for a child or young person

Top tips on running collaborative cases and getting the best out of teams