Splitting Headache
To split or not to split? That is the eternal question, answered here by new Prez in new guidance. In short: split only when it serves a purpose. And don’t forget split listing (or not) is a judicial decision. Lord Justice Wall (little known founder of Wall’s Ice Cream) also adds a reminder that splits [...]
Did you know…?
…that Deputy District Judges are now not permitted to deal with most Children Act matters? No, nor did I (a gap in my capacious knowledge, how embarrassing) until arriving at court this morning only to be told that the matter would have to be put back as it had accidentally been listed in front of [...]
Granny v Gay Adoption
I came across this article in the Telegraph which deals with the decision to place two young siblings for adoption in preference to leaving them with their grandparents in a kinship placement. Although I don’t know any more about this case than I have read in the article I want to offer a few thoughts [...]
Recent Addition
The ‘recent additions’ feature on bailii.org is useful – it highlights not only recently promulgated decisions but also those that are perhaps a little older but have only recently been made available on bailii. So, for example, listed at the moment is the case of OS v DS (Oral Disclosure: Preliminary Hearing) [2004] in which Coleridge J [...]
Participation of Children
An interesting article by District Judge Crichton (Inner London FPC, champion of the Drug & Alcohol Court Pilot) about enhancing the participation of children in Family Proceedings. He suggests that children of an appropriate age should be routinely asked by CAFCASS about the possibility of meeting the judge and that judges should not be reluctant to [...]
grrrrr
This may be shouting into a gale but dammit will SOMEBODY PLEASE tell social services legal departments that you cannot obtain a supervision order through a last minute recommendation in a s37 report without issuing a s31 application in the usual way? If my client’s long awaited final hearing on residence is waylaid this week [...]
Law over the pond
A week or so ago I spent a day observing proceedings at a local County Court in rural West Virginia. It was an interesting experience, that highlighted as many surprising similarities in practice and legal framework as it did differences. I watched a Circuit Judge swiftly dispatch a raft of motions (applications) covering subjects as [...]
