The Transparency Project

Retired 'top judge' Sir James Munby considers current proposals for law reform around 'assisted dying' and asks 'What Role for the Judge'? As you might expect from a judge of such long experience, this is a thought provoking read and raises many important questions. https://lnkd.in/dc26Wy7M

Judges should take greater account of domestic violence, economic and other abuse when making financial orders for separating couples, family lawyers argue - in @TimesLaw. https://lnkd.in/e-g-Wsab

A duo of posts today. 1. A long post by Sir J Munby, former President of the Family Division. 2. A shorter, TL:DR sister post by Lucy Reed KC Both try - & fail - to answer the 'simple' question of how long the law preventing people from talking about their children case is active for. Here is Sir James' Post (the link to Lucy's is at the top of that post):

I just nominated The Transparency Project to win £1,000. Can you cast a vote for them too? (Select educational category) Every little helps #Transparency #OpenJustice https://t.co/vJERabFOeB

Our latest Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup now up on the blog, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news.  https://lnkd.in/eSEybCEv

The presumption and ‘contact culture’ A legal presumption was introduced into the Children Act 1989 in 2014 that, in a contact dispute between separated parents, the continued involvement of both parents in their child’s life is in the child’s best interests. This has become increasingly controversial and is seen by many critics as contributing to a ‘contact culture’ (i.e. not enough regard paid to whether contact is actually safe) in family courts. In November 2020, the Ministry of Justice announced that these concerns (following the Harm Report) had prompted them to begin a review of the law. Almost four years later, that review has still not been published. New blog post explains what happened when we tried to investigate, via FOI, the extraordinarily extended timeline of non-publication. https://lnkd.in/dUVQWAiN

Sir James Munby on the Law Commission's potential missed opportunities for family law reform on the topic of contempt of court https://lnkd.in/gtksjXcd

‘Have you thought about giving notice?’ What happened when we tried to legal blog the magistrates (TLDR we weren't allowed to legal blog the magistrates) The main linked post analyses the transcript of a mini-hearing which led to our intrepid reporter Paul Magrath being excluded from the hearing he had attended to observe. You can read Paul's own account here: https://lnkd.in/g7zdDfdh Our explanatory (updated) post about why it took five months to get to the point where we could tell you all about it is here: https://lnkd.in/gQyFF9JK. Open Justice shouldn't be this hard.

When is an intermediary necessary? A case study of one public law children case. Brought to you by FPR 27.11 and feat. #LegalBlogging #OpenJustice #MakingFamilyJusticeClearer

This Saturday 21 September the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) is hosting an open day from 10am to 4pm. The RCJ was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882 and was designed by architect George Edmund Street. The RCJ is home to the Court of Appeal and High Court, and there are over 3.5 miles of corridors in the building. The Queen’s Court Building is part of the RCJ. It was completed and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 October 1968. On 14 December 2023, His Majesty King Charles III visited the RCJ and unveiled a plaque marking his visit, which was erected in the Bear Garden. Visitors to the RCJ this weekend can take part in mock trials, view the costume gallery display, see the cells, and much more. Our exhibition on pioneering women judges is also back on display. The event is free to all visitors.