Court

Who’s Who In The Family Court 1. The Judge A judge is the person who presides over the proceedings. In the Family Court, there are three levels of judges who are likely to hear your case. These are: District Judge: These are the judges who hear the most family law cases Circuit Judge: These[...]

A case of extreme parental alienation was heard in London earlier this year, in which a father was being alienated by his ex-wife. She was manipulating the children, and going to extreme lengths to do so. This case had been to court several times, spanning many years. A team of psychiatrists had been[...]

When families fall apart, do they fall too easily into court? An analysis of a speech given by Sir Andrew McFarlane (AM), President of the Family Division, on October 31st 2022, at The Worcestershire High Sheri’s Lecture 2022 at the University of Worcester AM suggests that separating parents[...]

In recent weeks, we have started to see a rarity in court become a daily occurrence. McKenzie Picave, as a small legal support practice has had 3 hearings adjourned in the last 10 days because…. There is no judge or magistrate available to take the hearing. Now, if we have had 3 hearings adjourned,[...]

“I did not know Mr Picave was a McKenzie Friend until the hearing was over. I assumed he was a solicitor…” – Mr D, Counsel, Family Law The quality and competence of a McKenzie Friend vary dramatically. The lack of regulation around McKenzie Friends means almost anyone can be[...]

A disgruntled Mum applies to the Family Court for a child arrangement order. She wants to ensure there is a framework in place for when and how the children’s Dad gets to see them. She wants that framework to be underpinned by a sealed Court Order. What she actually wants is to reduce the amount[...]

If you are going to find yourself in a Family Court case or you are already there, it seems appropriate to find out what you are walking into. The Family Court is just one judicial environment within a system which includes criminal courts, high courts, and civil courts. Fact: The Judge in family[...]

The courts are currently facing an ever growing backlog of cases, causing the wait between hearings to grow from weeks to months, but why has this happened, and how is it affecting the children going through this process? In February 2022, there was a hearing for a child arrangements order. The second[...]

In accordance with the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Regulation of Investigative Powers at Work 2000 (RIPA), it is lawful to conduct covert surveillance in the workplace. The Human Rights Act is relevant to Public Authorities and RIPA gives guidance across many sectors of covert surveillance. Covert[...]

£41.66, I tried to call you but you didn’t answer. £683, I wrote a letter…and posted it!! Tomasz wants to see his son. His marriage has broken down and got a little acrimonious, so he believes his only option is to consult solicitors. Tomasz attends a free 30 minute consultation with[...]

Landlords owning rental property have the right to evict their tenants providing the correct steps are taken. Section 21 notice of seeking possession A landlord can use a Section 21 notice to evict tenants either: after a fixed term tenancy ends – if there’s a written contract during a tenancy[...]

Contested Hearing – A contested hearing is one which has been scheduled specifically on the basis that the parties disagree on a particular issue or number of issues and the Court must settle the dispute. The Court will allocate sufficient time to debate the matter which can be a number of hours[...]