The flagship financial remedy conference of the year took place on Wednesday 10 October 2024, expertly chaired by Peel J. The Class Legal team excelled yet again with the At a Glance annual conference, sponsored by the brilliant 3PB Barristers – who brought along some squeezy stress-ball judges for delegates to take away (needless to say they vanished pretty quickly!)

This year’s conference did not disappoint. The speakers are some of the greatest minds of the financial remedies world, who we didn’t just learn from but were also entertained by their anecdotes and insights from such eminent practices.

The overarching themes from the conference this year were as you might expect. The importance of NCDR was emphasised on several occasions, including in small money cases. The reminder again from Peel J that costs orders will be made – the emphasis is on early and regular open offers to settle. And, the need to narrow issues, and appropriately case manage in a system which is overloaded.

We were treated to a whistle-stop tour of the last 40 years in matrimonial finance from the superb Sir Philip Moor following his retirement from the High Court Bench, who spoke of the ways not only that technology has changed but also how the courts have shaped the law in this area. It was telling that the statutes we use in practice have not really changed since 1973 and 1984 but our practices have, the important case law which has developed and evolved to modernise the way in which we deal with finances on divorce really has been the progress.

This talk linked in very neatly with the panel session chaired by Sir Nicholas Mostyn with Law Commissioners Professor Nicholas Hopkins and Christine Gentry covering the key areas of work for the new report. The feedback they had received from the public about reform was that people wanted to protect their assets, highlighted nuptial agreements, delays in the court service, and costs. This resonated with the feedback from professionals. They will be advising Government on a number of approaches which could be taken, albeit the Government does not have to take them up on their suggestions! The work they are doing is vital, particularly given the progression in case law but not in statute.

Delegates were surprised to find themselves at an unofficial awards ceremony hosted by the brilliant Joe Rainer. Joe didn’t just provide us with a library of the top cases from the past year but delivered it in a way which many of us are unlikely to forget! Demonstrating the sheer effort that goes into the talks provided by members of the profession.

Emily Ward and Henrietta Boyle provided a super helpful and pragmatic update on small money cases which will help everyone in their daily practices. It is so important to not just focus on the big money cases and the tips and tricks we learnt along the way will be used time and again.

We were also kept abreast of the changes to our profession with Lieven J and Peel J providing an insightful update on the transparency project and the importance of not being a ‘secret court’. The key messages are that it is working, it is nothing to be afraid of and overall has been very positive. HHJ Hess echoed this in his helpful update on the FRC which demonstrates the focus and innovation in our area of family law which was very much needed. HHJ Hess also made it clear that our courts are still under extreme pressure but there are things that we can do to make it better. For example, for general applications using the portal is more likely to get a response than simply emailing the court; comply with the efficiency statement, and avoid submitting consent orders absent the decree nisi/conditional order.

It really does demonstrate the gravitas of this conference when you have Tim Bishop KC giving a talk on Standish. A case which will impact people whatever the level of money involved. Echoed by the discussion with the Duxbury Panel (Chair: Lewis Marks KC, Panelists: Sir Nicholas Mostyn, Joe Rainer, Mary Waring, Sarah Hoskinson, Michael Allum, and Simon Bruce). Again, to hear first-hand the initial thoughts of the panel (following the publication of the report) and to be able to ask questions about it demonstrates the valuable insight gained when attending the AAG Conference.

Every year there is a panel convened of an important case which includes members of the team involved. This year we had a review of the case Potanin v Potanina with chair Amber Sheridan, and panellists Tim Scott KC, Nigel Dyer KC, Peter Mitchell KC, Rebecca Carew Pole KC, Professor Rebecca Bailey Harris and Eleanor Harris. To hear first-hand from those who have dealt with such high-level Part III cases including this one and to listen to the arguments played out gives you an element of learning that I don’t think you can achieve with a standard conference or talk. At the end we were given top tips from our expert panel which will be invaluable to those with an international practice.

Sir Nicholas Mostyn was, as always, the stalwart of the day having assisted with such an excellent programme. He also played to us a video made by the Movers and Shakers, an inspirational group of people with Parkinson’s Disease and I would ask you to please check it out at https://www.moversandshakerspodcast.com/ and share it.

This conference really does deliver CPD with pure Class and I cannot recommend it enough for those of you with a money practice – and if you can pick up a free squeezy judge what’s not to miss?! Here’s to next year!

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