Family Law

The Family Courts Bill 2022 has been passed by the Seanad. Once enacted, the bill will provide for the establishment of family court divisions within the existing court structures: a Family High Court, a Family Circuit Court and a Family District Court.

"Significant progress" has been made in implementing the recommendations of a landmark review of the role of experts in the family courts, the Department of Justice has said. The review, published in June 2024, examined the commissioning, availability, content, and use of these reports, which may be

Keith Walsh SC analyses the latest figures on divorce and judicial separation cases before the courts. There was a 35.5 per cent increase in applications for divorce and judicial separations before the High Court in 2023, with numbers increasing from 71 cases in 2022 to 91 in 2023.

The Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is to lead a new judicial working group to explore the family court system and make recommendations for improvements and reform. Announcing the move in her speech to mark the opening of the Northern Ireland legal year yesterday, Dame Siobhan Keegan said she

A further milestone has been achieved in the procurement process for the long-awaited dedicated family courts complex at Hammond Lane in Dublin. The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) today held a market launch for the public-private partnership (PPP) project, at which prospective tenderers

The procurement process for the long-awaited dedicated family courts complex in Dublin has begun in a further milestone for the project.

New legal powers to support the collection of child maintenance will be introduced in Northern Ireland under proposals put out to consultation. The Department for Communities is consulting on proposals in the Child Support Enforcement Bill, which will enhance enforcement and collection powers within

Gore & Grimes Solicitors LLP has promoted Niamh Walsh to partner in the Dublin firm's family law team. Ms Walsh joined the firm as a senior associate in 2021, having previously worked with a specialist family law firm.

Children, couples experiencing relationship breakdown and survivors of domestic violence will continue to face "rough justice" in the family courts under proposed government reforms, a coalition of NGOs and legal groups has warned. Women's Aid, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Safe Ireland, One Family,

New guidelines are to be introduced on the commissioning, content and use of expert reports in the family courts. Justice minister Helen McEntee today published a wide-ranging review on the subject, which sets out 20 recommendations for reform, including the establishment of a panel of assessors to

Changes are to be made to family law proceedings to prevent parents from abusing controversial concepts like "parental alienation". Justice minister Helen McEntee said ministers had approved reforms to ensure that "issues like parental alienation cannot take hold and cannot be part of any decisions

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice is considering whether journalists should be allowed to report on family court proceedings in response to calls from domestic abuse survivors. Several women have met with the victims of crime commissioner designate to push for increased transparency in the fa

A family lawyer seeking election to the European Parliament has criticised plans to move divorce, judicial separation and cohabitation proceedings to the District Court. Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a practising barrister who is running as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the Ireland South co

Child rapists in England and Wales will automatically lose parental responsibility over their own children under legislative amendments proposed by the UK government. The change comes alongside separate legislation which will apply an automatic suspension of parental responsibility in cases where a

Children's charity Barnardos has raised concerns about proposed family court reforms which senior lawyers warn could lead to a "two-tier" family justice system. The Bar of Ireland and the Family Lawyers' Association (FLA) strongly oppose plans to move most judicial separations, divorce and co-habita