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03 February 2012 / Geraldine Morris
Issue: 7499 / Categories: Features , Child law , Family
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Forward thinking

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Family lawyers must adapt to survive in the year ahead, says Geraldine Morris

Last year was a challenging year for family lawyers and in 2012 there are many more challenges ahead. This may be the year that the practice of family law changes beyond all recognition and lawyers who do not adapt may not survive in a climate of new competition and the continuing economic downturn.

Cuts

With the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) looking to make inroads into the £2bn of savings it must make overall, 40% of courts have or will be closed and staff levels slashed with an estimated 15,000 jobs lost—one third of the total staff employed by the MoJ. Combined with the anticipated cuts to legal aid as a result of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (currently slowly navigating its way through Parliament), the challenge will be how to tackle a much reduced court service burdened with increasing numbers of litigants in person.

ADR

The Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010), which came

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

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Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

HFW—Simon Petch

HFW—Simon Petch

Global shipping practice expands with experienced ship finance partner hire

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Infrastructure specialist joins as partner in Glasgow office

NEWS
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NLJ this week: No such thing as a ‘Welsh seat’
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
NLJ this week: Jury reform risks justice for efficiency’s sake
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
NLJ this week: Crypto fightback offers ‘new frontier for law’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
NLJ this week: Time to revive the duty to report crime?
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
NLJ this week: When are experts truly ‘necessary’?
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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