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08 January 2015 / Geraldine Morris
Issue: 7635 / Categories: Features , Family
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An avalanche of reform

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Geraldine Morris reviews the family law changes in 2014 & makes predictions for the year ahead

This time last year I referred to a “plethora” of changes in relation to the family justice system planned for 2014 (“All change (again)”, 164 NLJ 7591, p 11). If I could go back in time I would change “plethora” to “avalanche”: it’s been an incredible programme of reform, rightly described by the President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, as the “largest reform of the family justice system any of us have seen or will see in our professional lifetimes”. However, while some aspects of the reforms are working well, in a number of areas there’s still widespread confusion, and there’s lots more reform ahead in 2015. The following sets out just some of the changes/trends expected in 2015.

Financial provision

FRWG proposals

One of the most significant areas of reform in 2015 will be in relation to financial cases. The Financial Remedies Working Group (FRWG), led by Mr Justice Mostyn, published its interim report in August 2014 with a deadline for views

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