Still Here

Am aware of paucity of blog posts recently, owing to unusually hectic work life and poorly boy. Normal service will be resumed soon… In the meantime take a look at the draft rules due to come into force on 27th April (not yet available on OPSI) which modify privacy rules in children proceedings as set out in [...]

Proposed Legal Aid Reforms ‘Too Simple’ Admit LSC

‘Scoop’ to Family Law Week – it seems that (whisper it) the message may be beginning to get through – the proposed scheme might need a leetle tweaking. Nice of them to acknowledge that after we’ve all submitted our responses to the consultation but before the close of play (midnight tonight). If they’d admitted that before we [...]

Common Cause

It’s not just the bar who are unhappy about the proposed changes to the family legal aid scheme. The penny is beginning to drop for solicitors too, as is evident from this article in the Gazette.

Family Legal Aid Developments

A lot has been happening behind the scenes: Following the sending of an open letter to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee, the Family Law Bar Association, the Bar Council, the Association of Lawyers for Children, and the National Youth Advocacy Service made representations to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee this week to [...]

NSPCC Backs Family Bar

Family Law Newswatch reports: The NSPCC is supporting the Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association’s campaign to stop the Ministry of Justice’s proposals to cut family legal aid. NSPCC lawyer Barbara Esam said: “The proposed, repeated cuts in legal support in family law cases comes at the worse possible time, as the pressure [...]

Calls for inquiry into access to family justice

Family Law Newswatch reports: Lawyers acting for vulnerable children and families have today joined forces with the leading children’s charity, the NSPCC, to call for a Parliamentary inquiry into the state of the family justice system. The move comes amid heightened public concern over the need for a stronger legal framework for child protection following [...]

Legal Aid Cuts Consultation Deadline Extended

In my inbox from the LSC: ‘Following requests from a number of Provider Representative Groups, including the Family Law Bar Association, the Family Legal Aid Funding consultation has been extended. The consultation will now close at midnight on Friday 3rd April.’

Jack Straw Deplores…

I see Jack Straw has made an astonishingly sweeping statement deploring the rise in legal aid, legal aid lawyers and well, lawyers in general. He doesn’t mention ‘fat cat’ but we get your drift Jacko. . It is obviously a complete coincidence that the FLBA have scheduled a press conference for today regarding the forthcoming Family [...]