header-logo header-logo

10 October 2022
Categories: Legal News , Family , Procedure & practice
printer mail-detail

LNB NEWS: One lawyer, two clients model suggested as a solution to court delays

Juliet Harvey, national chair of family law organisation Resolution, gave an address at the Family Practice Conference in Nottingham on 7 October 2022 in which she highlighted the 'desperate state' of the family courts, which she described as 'underfunded and understaffed' with increasing delays and backlogs and statistics that show that the average period from the date of a divorce/dissolution petition/application to decree absolute/final order is now 56 weeks, up seven weeks from the same time last year. 

Lexis®Library update: She also highlighted that that access to early legal advice is the best way to help people find alternatives to court and that the introduction of the mediation voucher scheme had resulted in 65% of cases reaching whole or partial agreement in children cases that accessed the scheme, as well as the launch of the Resolution Together (one lawyer, two clients) model.

In a further address given by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, he also suggested that a move to a one lawyer, two clients model was 'key' and emphasised the power of language, with a shift in language needed as part of a bigger culture change away from the idea of 'going to court to fight it out'.

Information on 'Resolution Together' can be found here.

This content was first published by LNB News / Lexis®Library, a LexisNexis® company, on 7 October 2022 and is published with permission. Further information can be found at: www.lexisnexis.co.uk.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

Law firm mfg Solicitors announces promotions at Ludlow office

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints partner in Leeds residential team

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners adds six to partnership in record year for partner promotions

NEWS
The legal profession's AI challenge extends far beyond fabricated case citations, according to a warning about the next phase of technological risk
Law firms should use the transition period before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumes anti-money laundering (AML) supervision to strengthen governance and compliance, experts have warned
Cross-border disputes increasingly demand creative approaches to gathering evidence, with litigators needing to look beyond traditional letters of request
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified the distinction between contracts of 'indefinite' and 'perpetual' duration, with potentially significant implications for commercial drafting
The Court of Appeal was entitled to uphold the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, according to an analysis of the ruling
back-to-top-scroll