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07 April 2017
Issue: 7741 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 7 April 2017

Online divorce going well; child seeks inheritance advice; new debt pre-action protocol; family, insolvency & CoP rule changes; & Isleworth landlords to watch it

THE END IS NIGH

The first and cautious stage of the online divorce project which has the judicial lead of Judge Philip Waller is now being assessed. It started on 25 January 2017 at the East Midlands divorce centre in Nottingham by courtesy of FPR PD36D with petitioners who satisfy specific criteria being recruited to “have a go” by completing their applications online. The application form has been using plain English (wherever possible!) with explanations of technical terms as they appear. Early indications are that the pilot has been a success, particularly in reducing the usual rate of bounce backs of around 40%. Additional features will now be added to the pilot with a view to having full online applications available to the general public by Autumn 2017.

The project’s aim is to provide an ‘end-to-end’ system for processing undefended proceedings for divorce, partnership dissolution, nullity and judicial separation and by Spring 2019. Expect case management online for defended proceedings also

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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