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Back to square one?

12 September 2019 / Graeme Fraser
Issue: 7855 / Categories: Opinion , Family , Divorce
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Graeme Fraser shares ten family law priorities with the new Lord Chancellor…for when Parliament returns

The suspension of Parliament this month leaves a significant body of unfinished business yet to make it through the halls of Westminster, including the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill, which many of us hope to see reintroduced as soon as normal service is resumed. With some time on his hands to contemplate his in-tray during the party conference season, here are some suggested reforms for the recently appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC, on how he could help improve access to justice, and equality of arms in the family law courts and the wider legal family.

No fault divorce

When the government introduced the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill, it promised to reform the divorce process to remove the concept of fault. With the prorogation of Parliament on Monday night, this unfortunately means the Bill will not proceed any further. Considering the existing support for this Bill across the House, the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

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Senior associate promotion strengthens real estate offering

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Leading patent litigator joins intellectual property team

NEWS
The government’s plan to introduce a Single Professional Services Supervisor could erode vital legal-sector expertise, warns Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, in NLJ this week
Writing in NLJ this week, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers argues that the ‘failure to prevent’ model of corporate criminal responsibility—covering bribery, tax evasion, and fraud—should be embraced, not resisted
Professor Graham Zellick KC argues in NLJ this week that, despite Buckingham Palace’s statement stripping Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his styles, titles and honours, he remains legally a duke
Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'
In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains
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