Philip Waller traces the changing face of family law
In 1937, there were 4,886 divorces concluded in England and Wales. In 2010, there were 119,589 (itself significantly lower than most recent years). If an immediate snapshot is sought of the social and legal changes which have taken place over the last 75 years, there may be no starker comparison.
Changing landscape
The social and family landscape of the UK has altered dramatically and irrevocably over that time and has been reflected in equally fundamental changes in family law. The law must, of course, adapt to different social, economic and cultural circumstances and is bound to change as the requirements of our ever more complex society develop. These changes have posed, and continue to pose, significant challenges for lawyers, politicians, social commentators—and, dare one say, publishers. The aim of this article is to trace some of the milestones thus far and gaze a little into the crystal ball of the future.
1937 was a hugely significant year, not only for the publication of the first edition of Atkin’s Encyclopaedia of Court Forms
