News Essentials: 15th October 2018

A brief summary of the essential family law news and cases from the last week:

NEWS
Cafcass publishes new assessment framework for private law cases
We have developed a new assessment framework to support our practitioners in assessing the harmful impact of a range of complex case factors on the children we work with in private law cases. Full story: Cafcass.

Judge condemns 'unacceptable' lack of secure accommodation for children
Judge Mary Lazarus had nowhere to send convicted 16-year-old involved in ‘county lines’ drug dealing. Full story: The Guardian. See O (A child : No Available Secure Accommodation), below.

Almost 17,000 newborn babies taken into care in England in past nine years
Many infants taken from their mothers in hospital within hours or days of delivery. Full story: The Guardian.

Family chief tells lawyers: 'The justice system won't collapse - you will'
The justice system may be 'under stress' but it will grind on - it is the people propping it up who will collapse, the president of the family division has warned. Full story: Law Society Gazette.

Banker’s wife may lose UK property worth £22 million
High Court dismisses challenge to unexplained wealth order. Full story: Family Law Week.

CASES
MB v TB [2018] EWHC 2035 (Fam) (31 July 2018)
Judgment in jurisdiction dispute between wife who had issued divorce proceedings in England and husband who had issued in Germany. Held, the English court was seised of the wife's petition and that seisin had not been defeated by a failure by the wife to take steps she was required to have service effected, as alleged by the husband. Full report: Bailii.

PM v CF [2018] EWHC 2658 (Fam) (03 October 2018)
Judgment in case in which, inter alia, father's parental responsibility was terminated, in the light of the risk he posed to the mother, and the children's need for protection. Full report: Bailii.

O (A child : No Available Secure Accommodation) [2018] EWFC B60 (08 October 2018)
Application for secure accommodation order. No placements available. Full report: Bailii.

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For more news, see here.

For more cases, see here.

To subscribe to the Family Lore Focus free weekly Newsletter (which includes links to all of the week's top family law news stories, cases, articles and blog posts), go here.

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog included:

A laissez-faire approach to family law - Could this be where our law is going?

Euthanasia instructions in lasting powers of attorney ruled ineffective - In the case The Public Guardian v DA & Ors.

Divorcees, particularly women, can be happy - As suggested by a recent survey.

Wife may lose property after husband convicted of fraud - The case National Crime Agency v Hajiyeva.

Have a good weekend.

News Essentials: 8th October 2018

A brief summary of the essential family law news and cases from the last week:

NEWS
New measures announced to combat forced marriage
Consultation will consider a duty on professionals to report forced marriage cases. Full story: Family Law Week.

Irish court sanctions return of child taken from council care
The High Court of Ireland has given Lincolnshire County Council an order for the return of a child taken out of the UK by its parents while in the council’s care. Full story: Local Government Lawyer.

Civil partnerships: Law to be changed for mixed-gender couples
Heterosexual couples in England and Wales will be able to choose to have a civil partnership rather than get married, Theresa May has announced. Full story: BBC News.

Judge to decide whether baby can be first in UK history to be born without a mother in landmark trans rights case
Transgender parent says being forced to register as the child’s 'mother' breaches his human right to respect for privacy and family life. Full story: The Independent.

CASES
T (A Child) [2018] EWCA Civ 2136 (04 October 2018)
Appeal relating to the exercise of the inherent jurisdiction when called upon to make orders which, but for a lack of capacity in the statutory system, would be made as secure accommodation orders under Children Act. Full report: Bailii.

B (A Child) [2018] EWCA Civ 2127 (04 October 2018)
Mother's appeal from a fact-finding decision given in care proceedings, concerning injuries sustained by one year old child. Full report: Bailii.

Rogan v Rogan [2018] EWHC 2512 (Fam) (21 September 2018)
Judgment summons application by wife, in relation to non-payment of spousal maintenance. Full report: Bailii.

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For more news, see here.

For more cases, see here.

To subscribe to the Family Lore Focus free weekly Newsletter (which includes links to all of the week's top family law news stories, cases, articles and blog posts), go here.

New by me this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog included:

Husband prevented from pursuing appeal until he complies with costs order - The Hadkinson case De Gafforj.

Is it time to put an end to the MIAMs farce? - The latest figures, showing that they are now at just a third of pre-LASPO levels, suggest it may be.

Justice exists only for the wealthy - The impact of legal aid cuts.

Pay the maintenance… or go to jail? - Looking at the judgment summons case Rogan v Rogan.

Have a good weekend.

How easy it is to change accountants?

It’s easier than you might think to switch to one accountant from another. Every year, scores of self-employed people and business owners move to a new accountant without a hitch. Read on to find out more about how seamless the accountant-switching process can be.

Why switch accountants?

People decide to switch accountants for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you feel you are not getting enough value for money from your accountant, they have made mistakes or they don’t communicate with you as effectively as they could? Perhaps they are too slow to respond to your queries or don’t keep you in the loop with regards to how things are progressing? Some people decide to change their accountant because they have provided poor-quality advice or haven’t provided the tax-saving opportunities they talked about when they first signed up with them.

Leaving inefficient accountancy services

One common reason for people switching accountants recently is that they have been too slow to offer useful and convenient cloud accounting solutions. Many companies leave their accountant because their businesses have grown, and their current services provider cannot meet their needs. Before you go ahead and tell your accountant you no longer require their services, you need to check your agreement to ensure you are permitted to leave. The best time to move between accountants is when there isn’t much active business between you and your existing accountant, as this will ensure the change is a smooth, swift one.

What happens when you switch?

When you have found a new accountant and are ready to start working with them, your new accountant will write a letter to your old one to get professional clearance for managing your accounts and arrange the transfer of all relevant documents. In the letter, the new accountant will ask for a letter of disengagement from your old one. You will also need to use HMRC’s online authorisation service or sign a new 64-8 form, so your new accountant is legally able to manage your tax affairs. Your new accountant will conduct an anti-money laundering check on you and provide you with a letter of engagement.

Why choose One Click Group?

One Click Group are able to help if you are unhappy with your current accountant and are ready to switch. We have more than 20 years’ experience in the contractor services industry and are wholly compliant with tax and employment legislation. We offer a vast range of payment solutions for experienced and new contractors and are able to provide dedicated account management services to all our clients. Free-cloud based software is available for all our clients, and we can even give you access to our award-winning One Click Rewards scheme.

Get in touch

Talk to us today if you’re interested in working with a client-driven accountancy and tax service that puts you at the forefront of everything it does. You can reach us today by sending a message through the form on our website or by calling on 0345 557 1287.

News Essentials: 1st October 2018

A brief summary of the essential family law news and cases from the last week:

NEWS
MIAMs in last quarter down a further seven per cent on a year ago
Mediation starts remain stable. Full story: Family Law Week.

Family Court Statistics Quarterly: April to June 2018
Volume of cases dealt with by family courts over time, with statistics also broken down for the main types of case involved. Full story: Ministry of Justice.

Divorce rate for heterosexual couples hits 45-year low, figures show
Opposite-gender couples divorcing at lowest rate since 1973 after figure drops by 6 per cent in a year. Full story: The Independent.

New figures show welcome rise in men reporting domestic abuse to the police: ManKind Initiative
Reporting of incidents has doubled in five years. Full story: Family Law Week.

CASES
De Gafforj (Appeal: Hadkinson Order) [2018] EWCA Civ 2070 (20 September 2018)
Application by W for order preventing H from pursuing an appeal, on the basis that he is in contempt of court by having failed to comply with orders for maintenance pending suit, costs and a legal services payment order. Application granted. Full report: Bailii.

Hampshire County Council v C.E. and N.E. (Urgent preliminary ruling procedure - Jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgments in matters of parental responsibility - International child abduction - Judgment) [2018] EUECJ C-325/18PPU (19 September 2018)
Preliminary ruling on jurisdiction in case where parents removed children to Ireland in order to avoid them being taken into care. Full report: Bailii.

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For more news, see here.

For more cases, see here.

To subscribe to the Family Lore Focus free weekly Newsletter (which includes links to all of the week's top family law news stories, cases, articles and blog posts), go here.

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog included:

Don’t feel guilty about getting divorced - Despite all the stories of its horrendous consequences (mentioning no names. OK, well, one).

New figures show domestic abuse against men coming into the open - How times have changed...

Financial remedy case adjourned after issue of husband’s capacity raised - The case TP v PRBP.

“Catch me if you can”: Husband’s cavalier approach to financial remedy proceedings backfires - R v A, another lesson in how not to conduct a financial remedies case.

Have a good weekend.

Internet Newsletter for Lawyers September/October 2018

The latest issue of the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers is now published.

In this issue:

• Blockchain – Andrés Guadamuz of the University of Sussex considers uses of blockchain for the management of copyright works
• Legal design – Matt Terrell of Justis and Emily Allbon of City Law School explain the concept of legal design
• Legal advice – Delia Venables asks practitioners whether they feel giving free legal advice is worthwhile
• Websites – Stanley Dunthorne of Hallam Internet explains why multiple websites are not usually a good idea
• Open data – Nick Holmes describes the state of open data in the UK: data that is free to use and republish
• Surveillance – Alex Heshmaty of Legal Words describes the legal framework for government surveillance
• Publications – We note a number of new internet-related publications

You can access the Newsletter online.

News Essentials: 24th September 2018

A brief summary of the essential family law news and cases from the last week:

NEWS
Divorcing man told: You can’t pay your lawyers without paying your wife’s
The husband in a divorce dispute cannot pay his lawyers a pound without paying a pound to his wife’s solicitors, the High Court has ruled. Full story: Legal Futures. See LKH v TQA AL Z, below.

Domestic abuse victims turning to civil courts because police are failing to enforce law
Domestic abuse victims are increasingly turning to the civil courts for protection because the police are failing to enforce the law of coercive control, it has emerged. Full story: The Telegraph.

Male domestic abuse: Not enough support for victims, says charity
Male domestic abuse victims are suffering a lack of support despite a sharp rise in attacks, a charity said. Full story: BBC News.

“When a child won't see one parent”
Cafcass is developing a "High Conflict Practice Pathway" to help Cafcass practitioners to "systematically assess cases which feature adult behaviours associated with high conflict." Full story: Family Law Week.

CASES
AH v CD & Ors [2018] EWHC 2322 (Fam) (19 July 2018)
Final hearing of application by father for the return to Spain of child abducted by mother in 2014. Return ordered. Full report: Bailii.

B-P (Children : adoption Or Fostering) [2018] EWCA Civ 2042 (20 September 2018)
Appeal from an order refusing a local authority's application for placement orders in relation to three very young children. Appeal allowed. Full report: Bailii.

LKH v TQA AL Z (Interim maintenance and pound for pound costs funding) [2018] EWHC 2436 (Fam) (24 July 2018)
Application by W under Part III MFPA 1984. Order, inter alia, injuncting H from paying any further money to his solicitors unless he pays an equal amount to the wife's solicitors. Full report: Bailii.

K (A Child : Threshold Findings) [2018] EWCA Civ 2044 (04 September 2018)
Care proceedings. Appeal against finding that threshold had not been made out. Appeal allowed. Full report: Bailii.

TP v PRBP [2018] EWHC 2433 (Fam) (26 July 2018)
Financial remedies application in which the issue of the capacity of the husband was raised. Full report: Bailii.

M (A Child) [2018] EWCA Civ 2043 (04 September 2018)
Father's application for permission to appeal against order requiring him to secure return of child from Thailand. Application refused. Full report: Bailii.

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For more news, see here.

For more cases, see here.

To subscribe to the Family Lore Focus free weekly Newsletter (which includes links to all of the week's top family law news stories, cases, articles and blog posts), go here.

New by me this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog

My posts this week on the Stowe Family Law Blog included:

What’s not to like about the no-fault divorce consultation? - A few thoughts.

So what about the arguments against no-fault divorce? - A few more thoughts.

The cost of mediating, or not - Commenting upon a report that a couple had spent more than £50k on mediation. Hmm...

The power of the court to deal with the failure to obey orders - As in injuncting the husband from paying his lawyers unless he pays a similar sum to his wife's lawyers. LKH v TQA AL Z.

Have a good weekend.