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14 February 2025 / Ellie Hampson-Jones , Carla Ditz
Issue: 8104 / Categories: Features , Family , Divorce
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Family law brief: February 2025

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Ellie Hampson-Jones & Carla Ditz analyse the outcomes of the first Family Court Annual Report, as well as other crucial developments in the field
  • This quarterly NLJ update explores recent, published judgments and other news relating to family law to help practitioners stay up to date.

The latter part of 2024 saw a number of significant developments in the family law world, in addition to some important published judgments. In this update, we consider:

  • the family court’s latest annual report;
  • the Law Commission’s scoping report on the laws governing finances on divorce and the ending of a civil partnership;
  • the final report of the Duxbury working party; and
  • interpreting a final order in light of the parties’ intentions: XP and YP [2024] EWFC 319 (B).

The Family Court Annual Report 2024

On 2 December 2024, the president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, published the Family Court Annual Report. This report, the first of its kind, focuses on developments and activity in the family

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
NLJ this week: Family law urged to ditch adversarial instincts
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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