Knowledge & resources

Each month, Resolution pulls together all the latest news for legal aid practitioners. This is the March 2021 edition.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 many of you will not be at your offices to receive your printed copy of The Review but help is at hand. For every issue we will be publishing the articles here in the Knowledge and Resources section of our website as well as the pdf of the printed version.

The Family Justice Board has set out its priorities for the next two years, aiming to address the long-term challenges faced across the system. But immediate concerns may intervene…

The Pension Advisory Group won the John Cornwell award for its ground-breaking guide to what is often the second-largest and most-misunderstood asset on divorce. The Group has now published a version for the lay reader.

The Review's Case Law updates by David Burrows (March 2021)

Re Z concerned legal costs funding orders in relation to Schedule 1 and section 8 proceedings, interim financial provision, and a broad-brush approach to assessment in big money claims.

The journey to partnership is not easy or quick, but there are ways to prepare and a mindset to cultivate.

There are many reasons why solicitor advocacy could be a good career move, and some key ways to prepare…

FS v JS and RS [2020] hit the headlines as an adult child sought financial support from the parents. It involved some interesting points on the limits of Schedule 1, inherent jurisdiction, and reading down/against the grain.

Two recent cases highlight the procedural difficulties and the court’s case management powers

The courts have a number of powers to enforce compliance with child arrangement orders but each needs to be carefully considered in the circumstances of the case.

C v D addresses the procedural issues and troubling assumptions made by the trial judge in F v H, but we will have to wait for a separate (conjoined) Court of Appeal decision to see if family law is going to catch up with criminal law in harm cases.

Immigration issues have, obviously, changed with the UK’s exit from the EU. And things haven’t got simpler.

In Re B (A child) (Unnecessary private law applications) HHJ Wildblood reminded us that DR options should almost always be considered before litigation.

“Self-funding, rejection letters, fruitless interviews, or to be ignored altogether. All character-building experiences, apparently…”

Draft changes to the Family Procedure Rules arising from planned implementation of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020.

Resolution’s response to the Family Procedure Rule Committee.

Family: the word means something to us all, both professionally and personally. For now though, can we all put aside the ‘lawyer’ in ‘family lawyer’ and reflect just on the ‘family’.

Each month, Resolution pulls together all the latest news for legal aid practitioners. This is the February 2021 edition.

When I was asked to write this, I was told “the more personal it is, the better”, which put me off putting pen to paper. My experience of being a Black LGBT+ person growing up in the UK in the 90s is deeply personal and bite-sized versions of a formative human experience made me worried about being misquoted, misunderstood and judged.

Understanding your own experience, or indeed the experience of others, is an ongoing process. So, this will be a “where I am right now at my current state of evolution and understanding”.

When I was first approached to write this article to celebrate LGBT History Month, I panicked.