header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
21 March 2025 / Alexandra Hirst
Issue: 8109 / Categories: Features , Profession , Family
printer mail-detail

Reporting the family courts

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
211925
A route to justice or a concern for clients? Alexandra Hirst weighs up the benefits & risks of the transparency pilot scheme
  • The year-long transparency pilot scheme allows the press greater access to the family courts.
  • The biggest challenge will be establishing what reporters can report, based on what they have heard and read at the hearings they attend.
  • Clients may well be concerned about personal information being reported, which could inhibit and censor their evidence. However, the motivations behind the scheme are wholly positive.

The transparency pilot scheme has been in place in all financial remedy proceedings across the country since the end of January 2025, and it will run for a year.

Proponents of the scheme are seeking to improve the lack of public access to, and awareness of, what takes place in the family law courts and how judges come to decisions relating to children and families. There is a concern, following decisions in high-profile public law cases, that decisions are being made behind closed

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Is inequality undermining trust?
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
NLJ this week: Freemasons ruling backs police transparency over privacy claims
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
NLJ this week: Right to grieve marks ‘major shift’ in employment law
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
NLJ this week: AI privilege battles expose risks
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
NLJ this week: Experts warned—AI use must be transparent
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll