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Family law brief: February 2025

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

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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