£6.2m injection for the pioneering family drug and alcohol court

£6.2m injection for the pioneering family drug and alcohol court

Posted by on Oct 19, 2017 in News

The government has handed local authorities in England a £6.2m lifeline to continue providing a pioneering problem-solving court service – and to expand it into new areas.

The family drug and alcohol court (FDAC), which was pioneered in London by district judge Nicholas Crichton in 2008, aims to tackle parental substance misuse when it is a key element in local authority decisions to bring care proceedings. The service was originally jointly paid for by the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Health, but has faced repeated funding uncertainties.

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Barrister lifts lid on impact of rude and aggressive judges

Barrister lifts lid on impact of rude and aggressive judges

Posted by on Oct 12, 2017 in News

A barrister has criticised judges who ‘belittle and undermine’ advocates, claiming they can have a profound impact on wellbeing.

In a Twitter post Mary Aspinall-Miles, an executive committee member of the Criminal Bar Association and a tenant at 12 College Place in Southampton, said she had seen judges come across as ‘unnecessarily aggressive/sharp’ over small issues.

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Flagship court plan for City of London

Flagship court plan for City of London

Posted by on Oct 9, 2017 in News

A multi-purpose high technology court complex will replace all of the City of London’s courts apart from the Old Bailey under plans announced by HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the City of London Corporation today.

The aim, part of the City’s programme to preserve its position as an international dispute resolution centre, is to set up a high technology centre specialising in fraud, economic and cyber-crime. The 18-court complex, likely to be in the traditional heart of legal London, will also take on the work of the City of London Magistrates’ Court and City of London County Court.

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Litigant-in-person figures expose family courts crisis

Litigant-in-person figures expose family courts crisis

Posted by on Oct 1, 2017 in News

Latest government figures highlighting the rising number of private law cases and litigants in person have prompted calls for the government to heed recent warnings about the family justice system.

Ministry of Justice figures show 13,029 new private law applications were made between April an June this year, a 3% increase on the same period last year. Neither the applicant nor respondent were represented in 36% of disposals, compared with 34% in the previous quarter.

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