Is the Family Court a brave—or terrifying—new world, asks Julie Exton
The family arena has undergone an enormous change since my appointment 15 years ago.
Soon the colourful divorce files that brighten up my room will disappear and be replaced by buff-coloured civil files. And, why is that? It is thought appropriate—and I do not disagree—that the routine work of certifying entitlement to a divorce can be wrested from the hands of district judges and, instead, processed by legal advisers. On top of that, divorce applications will be centralised in only a few centres on each Circuit. Here on the Western Circuit, Southampton will bear that particular burden, tiny Bury St Edmunds for the whole of the South East Circuit but, elsewhere, there may be two or three divorce centres. Of course, until the legal advisers adjust to their new role, there will be great pressure on the district judges who sit in the divorce centres to assist and support them.
Consent orders
One of the real issues that flows from this change is
