header-logo header-logo

Family justice post COVID-19: the road to recovery

01 September 2020 / Graeme Fraser
Issue: 7900 / Categories: Opinion , Family , Covid-19
printer mail-detail
26152
Ingenuity & resilience have helped to ensure justice for many families in lockdown but a coherent recovery plan is essential to protect the most vulnerable, as Graeme Fraser explains

The Sixth Report of the House of Commons Justice Committee of Session 2019-21 published last month (https://bit.ly/346gmjo) provides an honest and balanced appraisal of the courts’ performance during the pandemic, with constructive comment on how to address the backlog of unheard cases. It also raises important questions as to the permanence of the emergency changes and the future of the existing reform programme.

Recommendations by the Justice Committee

HMCTS, the Judiciary and the court staff have been commended for maintaining significant levels of service and delivering successful and rapid changes. This approach will be needed in the longer term to implement the proposed recovery plan. Work is required to identify the impact of increased use of digital technology on case outcomes, the perception of fairness, and any barriers to access to justice. Changes introduced

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

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll