LiP Service

Litigants in Person are in the news. The penny seems to be dropping that they are becoming the norm rather than the exception. The Gazette carries a piece on the soaring numbers of LiPs, based upon a recent and stark increase in demand upon the services offered by the PSU at the RCJ, in particular [...]

Summary of Legal Aid Reforms to Family Law

Nearly Legal has provided an excellent summary of the legal aid reforms in respect of housing and other areas of law: Ask not for whom the bill tolls. Due to other commitments I have not been able to put together a full analysis of the Bill insofar as is relates to family law. That will [...]

Family Courts without a Lawyer – A Handbook for Litigants In Person

  The Interim Report of the ongoing Family Justice Review notes that, “Adults find the system confusing and characterised by legalese whether they are involved in public or private law…In private law, it is difficult for adults to navigate the system on their own. Two anonymous respondents to the call for evidence highlight this. For one, “it [...]

Care Proceedings & Learning Disabled Parents

Abigail Bond is a family barrister practising from St John’s Chambers in Bristol*. She is the author of “Care Proceedings and Learning Disabled Parents – A Handbook for Family Lawyers”, recently published by Family Law (Jordans). The handbook is an interesting read and a useful guide to common aspect of care work which all too [...]

SOUND OFF FOR JUSTICE GOES VIRAL

. This video is EXCELLENT. Do watch it. And do pass it on. It’s important stuff (but then you know that already). It really does bring home one impact that Ken Clarke’s legal aid cuts will have if implemented. An announcement is expected from the government in the next few weeks, so help spread the [...]

Family Courts Without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person

These are dark days for many of us financially speaking. And securing legal advice and representation when relationships break down is only going to become tougher – there are swingeing cuts to legal aid looming, and few people have money to spend on lawyers. . It’s tough enough dealing with relationship breakdown, and tougher still [...]

Legal Aid Reforms – It’s Not Rocket Science Boys

I could spout on and on about all the things wrong with the Legal Aid reforms set out in the Green Paper published last month (and indeed I already have), but in fact Polly Curtis has already done it for me, in this recent article in The Guardian – she is of course absolutely right [...]

Research on Litigants in Person

Been meaning to pop a link up to Richard Moorhead’s useful summary of his research on Litigants in Person. In response to the Legal Aid Green Paper, which cites that research, he sets out what the findings were, and the somewhat limited nature of the existing research. Of particular note to readers of this blog [...]

Questions in the House

There have been a number of questions in The House on family legal aid reform. I see from Lords of the Blog (the House blog) that Baroness Deech, whose pronouncements on family law I do not always agree with, is due to ask a further question. Good on her.

Green Paper On Legal Aid Initial Observations #4: Private Law Children Cases

I write this on the train to the FLBA conference in Leeds. I have typed and lost it several times and have resolved to post it before it once again disappears into the ether. You will therefore have to excuse any jerkiness, repetition or overlong sentences. I wanted to post and so I post in [...]