header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
24 May 2007 / Jonathan Herring
Issue: 7274 / Categories: Features , Family
printer mail-detail

Sea of change

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

To mark the Family Court Reports’ birthday, Jonathan Herring reviews family law cases from the past 20 years

The Family Court Reports (FCR) series, produced fortnightly, has gained an excellent reputation as a reliable, authoritative and up-to-date set of reports of family law cases. Inevitably, on such an anniversary one looks back over the lifespan of the reports. Certainly family law has undergone some significant changes.

CHANGING FAMILY LAW

Gone for sure are the days when a married couple with 2.4 children was the norm for family lawyers. Increasing rates of unmarried cohabitation, formal acknowledgement of same-sex relationships in the Civil Partnerships Act 2004, and greater access to assisted reproductive treatments mean that courts have been getting used to a far wider range of family forms than was once the case.

Other social changes have affected family law too. The increasing significance attached to fatherhood is notable. Groups claiming to represent fathers have in recent years mounted a vociferous campaign claiming that family law and the family courts are “anti-fathers”. Although their claims are

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
Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll