header-logo header-logo

All change (again)

22 January 2014 / Geraldine Morris
Issue: 7591 / Categories: Features , Family
printer mail-detail
web_morris

Geraldine Morris looks at the changes ahead for family law & predicts some new developments

Lawyers may not always think of themselves as business people; family lawyers in particular are often very client focused, looking to achieve the best outcome for parties who are going through what will often be one of the worst periods of their lives. It can be hard, when weighed down with a busy caseload, to peak above the parapet and take time to reflect on how family law is changing. All businesses change over time, some faster than others. Change within the family law justice system has accelerated at an incredible pace in the last few years and 2014 will be no exception.

The question is, which of the following will you be? An innovator, an early adopter, part of the early majority, the late majority or a laggard? These are established change management categories of how people respond to change and, make no mistake, the changes will keep coming. Some of the changes ahead (and some predictions) are

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
back-to-top-scroll