Now we are one

Amazingly, Family Lore celebrates it's first birthday today. It's been an interesting year, with developments in many areas of family law. Here are some of the highlights:

• The Carter review of legal aid: a disaster waiting to happen. As any regular here will know, I don't do legal aid work any more, but I am still instructed by clients who are eligible, simply because they can't get an appointment with a legal aid solicitor soon enough - a situation that will only get worse when the review has done it's work.



• The reform of child support, although the general consensus seems to be that the new agency, C-MEC, will be no more successful than it's predecessor, the Child Support Agency. Interestingly, many of my clients believe the CSA has already been scrapped - I have to disappoint them by telling them that this isn't the case.



• The trial bundle Practice Direction: even more reason to settle before the case goes to trial!



• The Law Commission's consultation on cohabitation - aimed at giving property rights to (at least some) cohabitees.



• The opening of the family courts - moves in this direction will be welcomed by fathers' groups, but I am not so sure, and worry that the government and courts are bowing to public pressure. The rules are there for good reasons, especially the protection of children.



• The new Family Procedure Rules: when they come in, we'll be saying goodbye to archaic terms such as 'decree nisi' and 'decree absolute'.



• Miller and McFarlane - these cases created a frenzy of interest in the media and amongst academics, but does anyone really know what effect the decisions will have? My guess is probably very little, especially for parties of modest means.



• Last but (unfortunately) not least, the McCartney divorce case: recently voted public relations disaster of the year in a survey by Rainier PR.

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