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28 March 2025 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 8110 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way
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Civil way: 28 March 2025

Hold tightly in family; LPA is 100; suing too high; hello Business Ombudsman; new consumer law; employment awards up.

FINANCIAL REMEDY EXPRESS

We already have financial remedy applications (principally for periodical payments only) on the fast track. Now we are about to experience ‘express’ unlimited remedies for relative tiddlers through a 12-month pilot introduced by new PD 36H with FPR PD update no 1 of 2025 as from 7 April 2025. But not in all family court locations. The pilot is rushing to 33 centres including Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and, inevitably, Crewe with its 12 railway platforms. Not London where life is slower. The pilot will be limited to contested cases where the combined total of the parties’ net assets, excluding pension rights or pension protection fund compensation entitlement, is or is likely to be less than £250,000—or so considered to be by the applicant in the application.

On issue, the court will list a first hearing, intended as the FDR, within 16 to 20 weeks with a time estimate of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

EIP—Stuart Malcolm

EIP—Stuart Malcolm

EIP strengthens Commercial practice with a new partner

Ellisons—Francesca Brown

Ellisons—Francesca Brown

Ellisons welcomes Francesca Brown to Family team

Shakespeare Martineau—Marie Bourke

Shakespeare Martineau—Marie Bourke

Shakespeare Martineau strengthens Sheffield regulatory practice with new hires

NEWS
A wide-ranging Civil Way column highlights developments from insolvency procedure to employment law, but one case stands out for its lessons on bankruptcy, family homes and digital communications
A sprawling Intellectual Property Office battle between House of Fraser and Frasers Property has delivered a masterclass in modern trade mark law
Courts in England and Wales and Singapore are increasingly confronting complex disputes over international child relocation as families become more globally mobile
The government’s long-awaited family law reform consultation could mark a turning point for domestic abuse victims navigating financial remedy proceedings, but significant challenges remain
A new commercial court pilot giving the public access to documents used in hearings, including expert reports, is raising difficult questions about transparency and privacy
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