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Tectonic Developments for Non-Court Dispute Resolution in the Family Court? The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023/1324

Tectonic Developments for Non-Court Dispute Resolution in the Family Court? The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023/1324

Readers of a certain vintage will recall the exchange between Sir Humphrey Appleby and Sir Bernard Woolley, where they are trying to stop yet another Jim Hacker announcement which will lead to a change of policy direction. The denouement of all that is wrong with this is described by Sir

Dickson v Rennie: Right or Wrong

Dickson v Rennie: Right or Wrong

The judgment of Holman J in Dickson v Rennie [2015] 2 FLR 978 records that at the final hearing of the mother’s Schedule 1 application in June/July 2007 District Judge Walker had ordered inter alia long-term periodical payments for the child of £41,200 pa (or £3,433

Two Important Cases in One Day: Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil and TUI v Griffiths

Two Important Cases in One Day: Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil and TUI v Griffiths

As the old saying goes, you wait ages for a London bus; then two arrive at once. Today (29 November 2023) the Supreme Court (Lords Hodge, Lloyd-Jones, Briggs, Burros and Stephens) handed down judgment in TUI v Griffiths [2023] UKSC 48 (‘Griffiths’), while the Court of Appeal (Carr LCJ, Vos

Xanthopoulos v Rakshina: LSPOs – Twelfth Time a Charm?

Xanthopoulos v Rakshina: LSPOs – Twelfth Time a Charm?

It has long been the case that even where one party asserts that the court has no jurisdiction to bring a particular application a court can make an order for interim maintenance and/or a costs allowance (whether under statute or common law) – see for example Moses-Taiga v Taiga [2006]

Cohabitation and Labour's Commitment to Changing the Law: What Reform Might Look Like

Cohabitation and Labour's Commitment to Changing the Law: What Reform Might Look Like

On Tuesday, 10 October 2023, Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry MP announced that the Labour Party intended to review the law relating to cohabitation with a view to introducing reform. This is welcome news and was received positively by Resolution and many academics that have campaigned tirelessly over the years

Where Property, Insolvency and Estate Administration Law Collide

Where Property, Insolvency and Estate Administration Law Collide

I had a hearing last week, acting for a court-appointed administrator of a deceased’s estate, that raised some interesting and unusual points of property, insolvency and estate administration law. Since it is unlikely to be reported, being an extempore judgment from a Deputy Master, I thought it might be

When Are Pensions Too Small to Worry About?

When Are Pensions Too Small to Worry About?

https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2023/2453.html First of all, may I observe that the Family Court seems to be publishing more judgments in small money cases. I commend this approach. As a single joint expert, I was often instructed in smaller money cases, and the