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22 November 2007 / Grant Howell
Issue: 7298 / Categories: Features , Divorce , Family
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Window on the stars

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How private should the family courts be? asks Grant Howell

The media spotlight focused on the  country’s divorce process in October, when the McCartneys sat down with their lawyers to thrash out agreement on ancillary relief claims linked to their divorce. The question of privacy in family courts is a topical one. There is no doubt that the current position is confused. Where matters are dealt with in either the county court or the High Court, they are protected from public scrutiny yet they become open to both public and press—subject to reporting restrictions at judicial discretion—should they reach either the Court of Appeal or House of Lords.

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

There has also been much recent debate centred upon consultation papers issued by the government. The latest, Confidence and Confidentiality: Openness in Family Courts—A New Approach (CP 10/07), was published on 20 June 2007. The focus here is on matters relating to children, but the consultation paper recognises the family courts’ role in resolving financial issues and the far-reaching effects of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Slater Heelis—Charlotte Beck

Slater Heelis—Charlotte Beck

Partner and Manchester office lead appointed head of family

Civil Justice Council—Nigel Teasdale

Civil Justice Council—Nigel Teasdale

DWF insurance services director appointed to Civil Justice Council

R3—Jodie Wildridge

R3—Jodie Wildridge

Kings Chambers barrister appointed chair of R3 Yorkshire

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Prenups meet a jurisdictional brick wall
A wealthy Russian divorce battle has produced a sharp warning about trying to challenge foreign nuptial agreements in the wrong English court. Writing in NLJ this week, Vanessa Friend and Robert Jackson of Hodge Jones & Allen examine Timokhin v Timokhina, where the High Court enforced Russian judgments arising from a prenuptial agreement despite arguments based on the landmark Radmacher decision
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An obscure Victorian tort may be heading for an unexpected revival after a significant Privy Council ruling that could reshape liability for dangerous escapes, according to Richard Buckley, barrister and emeritus professor of law at the University of Reading
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