A couple of pieces in the Guardian which are worth a read: here and here. No soundbites, just common sense and a thoughtful approach to the problems. The first, by a very sensible and knowledgeable family magistrate, almost makes me waver in my long held view that family cases are unsuitable for disposal in the magistrates…Almost.
Posts Tagged ‘family justice review’
Thoughtful and Thought Provoking
Posted in courts, family justice review, resources, tagged care proceedings, children, courts, delay, family justice review, family justice system, resources on August 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Rozenberg on MoJ Cuts
Posted in courts, family justice review, public funding, resources, tagged access to justice, courts, family justice review, public funding, resources on August 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Joshua Rozenberg warns of injudicious cost cutting of courts and legal aid:
Many of the economies we can expect will be false ones. Cutting legal aid will simply lead to more litigants in person. Cases will take longer and court costs will rise. Vulnerable children will be at greater risk. There will be more miscarriages of justice, costing huge sums to investigate and put right.
Family Justice Review
Posted in family justice review, tagged family justice review, family justice system, family law, reform on July 28, 2010| 1 Comment »
Further to my previous post, I am en route back to the sticks having thrown my two penn’orth in the general direction of the Family Justice Review Panel (I got ’em, right between the eyes). I was somewhat surprised to find that the session was ‘private’ (and apparently not recorded), and so I will not report it’s contents here until clarification on that is received (jokes about the transparency of the family justice system on a postcard please). BUT: in light of this evidence session, can I urge everybody to consider with renewed vigour to PLEASE respond to the review? It is more important and more serious than you may imagine. We 8 lawyers were asked to contribute orally in an hour and a half and, predictably enough for a room full of lawyers with a short time estimate, were falling over each other to respond to the serious points raised – we could not hope to address the issues fully in that format and the written representations will be crucial. Over the next little while I will be posting some blog posts to focus minds on issues which the Review are likely to address. No doubt the FLBA and other associations will be consulting more widely over the summer on the matters discussed today (as far as permitted) in advance of presenting their written representations.
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Apologies for the slightly ridiculous cloak and dagger approach. But know this: there are no givens. Change is a comin’.
POST SCRIPT 5 AUG: Although I have not had time to post further, the Panel confirmed that they have no objection to wider discussion of the issues raised for discussion at the evidence session I attended. I will be posting shortly about that.