Family Law

Family lawyers have welcomed the commencement of remote family court hearings this week. Mr Justice John Jordan, the judge in charge of the family list of the High Court, has published a notice setting out the court's approach to remote hearings from yesterday.

A man held up a judge, a barrister and his estranged wife with a fake pistol and a hoax pipe bomb during a “terrifying” siege in a Dublin court, his sentence hearing has been told. During a hearing in December 2018, Edmund Dunican, 47, told the court he had a “problem” with a

Family lawyers have paid tribute to Fermanagh social worker Nuala McLaughlin, who died from Covid-19 late last year. Originally from Tyrone, Ms McLaughlin was the principal social worker at the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT). She was just 43 years old when she passed away at the end of

A woman who wants to bring family law proceedings against her allegedly violent former partner has launched a High Court challenge over the Legal Aid Board's refusal to fund her action. The mother-of-two, who is reliant on social welfare payments, claims that her application for legal aid was turned

Remote hearings are not delivering effective access to justice in Northern Ireland's family courts, research by an Ulster University academic suggests. The new report by Professor Gráinne McKeever on the impact of Covid-19 on the family courts, based on interviews with practitioners and litig

Family lawyer Claire Edgar, partner at Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors, examines the issue of equality in divorce settlements. It is 20 years since the House of Lords handed down the seminal judgement of White v White, which decided that, when determining each spouse’s contribution to the ma

The High Court has granted a divorce and made a number of orders in relation to a family home, commenting that an abuse of privilege may have costs implications. Background

Parents whose children are subject of access orders should "try to agree what access can happen safely", the president of the District Court has said. In a statement issued on Saturday, Judge Colin Daly acknowledged that some parents "may be concerned that they cannot fulfil the terms of these order

Claire Edgar of Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors examines a recent case concerning the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The High Court in Belfast has recently handed down a decision in the Matter of K (a minor), a Hague Convention case in which Francis Hanna &

The Family Lawyers’ Association of Ireland (FLA) has established a committee of family law practitioners to scrutinise the government's proposals for family court reform. The sub-committee of four solicitors and four barristers, chaired by Dervla Browne SC, is now preparing a submission on the

The Legal Aid Board is bracing for an increase in demand and delays in accessing legal services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, its chairperson Philip O'Leary has said.

The Law Society of Ireland has welcomed yesterday's government announcement on family law reform as "reflective of the vision the Law Society called for". Justice Minister Helen McEntee yesterday announced that government ministers have approved the drafting of a Family Court Bill, which will provid

Family lawyers have welcomed progress on "long overdue" proposals to establish new dedicated family courts within the existing court structures. Justice Minister Helen McEntee today announced that government ministers have approved the drafting of a Family Court Bill, which will provide for the esta

Prominent family lawyer Marion Campbell has joined KOD Lyons after more than 10 years in private practice. Ms Campbell, who will head the firm's family law team, has practised as a solicitor since 1976, working at the Legal Aid Board for two decades and most recently leading Marion Campbell Solicito

The Family Lawyers' Association of Ireland has established a working group of child care law practitioners to make recommendations for reform of the Child Care Act 1991. Solicitor Gareth Noble of KOD Lyons has been appointed to chair the group, and is joined by Sarah Fennell BL, Lewis Mooney BL and