Knowledge and resources

Resolution’s response to the Ministry of Justice

Resolution is an organisation of 6,500 family lawyers and other family justice professionals in England and Wales, who believe in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family law matters. Resolution also campaigns for better laws and better support for families and children undergoing family change.

Over 1,500 of our members currently offer family, children and/or family mediation legal aid services.

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.

David Burrows with his regular column on family law case summaries.

Practice and procedure – court ordered adjournment to encourage non-court dispute resolution –r3.4 FPR – Case management.

In Rattan v Kuwad [2021] EWCA Civ 1 the Court of Appeal signals a move away from forensic analysis of interim budgets in all cases.

In BSA v NVT [2020] EWHC 2906 (Fam) Williams J considered, inter alia, an appeal from a father against an order for enforcement of a recital to a consent order.

A review of the High Court Family Division case of FC v MC [2021] EWHC 154 (Fam) (29 January 2021).

It is now 12 months since family law has been forced into something of a digital revolution and, as such, you may be forgiven for wondering why the Innovation Committee felt it may be helpful to publish a review about bundling software options now – a year on.

As an articled clerk in 1994 I discreetly joined LAGLA, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association, and I recall receiving their newsletters at home in plain brown envelopes, long before emails. All their meetings and events seemed to be held in London, where I suspected it was perhaps easier to be “out” as a lawyer than it was in the provinces.

Will the law against champerty soften in the name of access to justice?

A new guide sets out the regulatory and compliance aspects of third-party funding.

The pilot project from Law for Life and Resolution launched immediately before Covid, but after an initial dip the service is in great demand – and working for the panel lawyers too.

The Family Solutions Group’s report is weighty and chimes with much Resolution stands for, but there are parts of its recommendations that raise questions .

The remote experience does not need to be a lesser form of mediation – in fact, it can create its own advantages.

This judgment of Hayden J contains a wealth of advice and definitions to help practitioners with these difficult cases, including analysis of ‘the context of wider behaviour’.

With a wealth of new material online, and as we ponder the future of training and of family practice, there is one all-important question for the Training and Learning Committee: is it working for Resolution members? Here is a selection of feedback and there will soon be a survey for you to add yours….

Two recent cases have clarified the position where parents disagree on whether to vaccinate their children, and a local authority’s position when considering children in its care.

In this article for The Review, Naomi Hayward attends the pilot of the “Essential Skills for Working Relationships” and reports back on it.

Edward Cooke, chair of Resolution’s Training and Learning Committee, looks at how training and learning needs will continue to evolve in view of changes brought about by the pandemic and other developments in family practice.

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