This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes analyses of the recently issued Family Procedure Rules 2010, Practice Direction Update No 1 of 2026 and the new consolidated guidance on allocation and gatekeeping for children proceedings in the Family Court coming into force on 5 May 2026. Sir Andrew McFarlane’s final View from the President’s Chambers is also considered, together with recent judgments on care and supervision orders, an application for a parental order following foreign surrogacy and an appeal against a costs order made against a father in private children proceedings.

This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes details of the Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2026 and analysis of the amendments to the regulation of experts and communicating information from proceedings, the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and the Online Procedure Rule Committee’s recently published Online Procedure Rules 2026. Analysis of the Court of Appeal’s decision restoring the Legal Ombudsman’s decision that awarded compensation to a client arising from inadequate handling of vulnerability, litigation capacity and costs information is included. Recent judgments on declarations of parentage, a father’s appeal against an order granting permission to relocate and an application to vary interim financial provision are also considered.

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes details of the new Form FM5 (statement of position on non-court dispute resolution) following amendments to Part 3 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010) together with FPR 2010, PD 3A in effect from 29 April 2024. Consideration is given as to whether a final order of divorce can be rescinded when there are no procedural defects. The approach to take when deciding whether a fact-finding is necessary is considered, together with travel guidance for cases with a risk of future forced marriage.

This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes details of barristers’ access to the MyHMCTS family private law digital service platform and a new report from the Family Mediation Council warning of challenges to the future of legally aided family mediation. The announcement by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, regarding the reduction in London Financial Remedies Court sitting days for October 2025 to March 2026 and the government’s response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report ‘Victims in their own right?’ are included. Recent judgments on interim care or supervision orders and variation of final orders made in financial remedy proceedings are also considered.

This week’s edition of the Family weekly highlights includes details of the updated MyHMCTS financial remedy cases guidance. Recent judgments on an application to discharge a care order, an application for common law recognition of a Thai step-parent adoption and non-matrimonial post-separation accrual are also considered. Two new Family case trackers have been added listing recent international children and public children cases.

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes details of an HMCTS webinar on submitting financial remedy orders on MyHMCTS and how to file agreed post-hearing draft orders and HMCTS Family Public Law release notes 3–7 of 2025 on design changes. Judgments on the existence of a marriage ceremony, unregulated sperm donors and breaches of a non-molestation order are also set out.

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes analysis of the Family Court decision that a transgender applicant for a decree of nullity did not have ‘victim status’ for the purposes of a human rights claim, updated guidance from HM Courts and Tribunals Service on appealing to the Court of Appeal, Civil Division and details of a Family Court decision to order the return of two children to their home in Ghana.

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes details of a consultation on the regulation of experts in family law children proceedings, together with the latest Family Procedure Rule Committee meeting minutes. Analysis of recent judgments on premature infant injury, the division of assets in financial remedy proceedings and coercive and controlling behaviour are also set out.

This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes details of a speech by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, on the most effective way for the family courts to engage with cases where there are allegations of domestic abuse, the Lady Chief Justice’s recently published annual report and the Law Commission’s proposed new framework to modernise contempt of court laws. Analysis of dealing with beneficial interests in the family home is set out. Recent judgments on the adoption of children born under surrogacy arrangements, applications for leave to pursue financial remedy proceedings following a foreign divorce and applications to set aside return orders under the 1980 Hague Convention are also considered. Two flowcharts and a checklist have been added on reporting restriction order applications in family proceedings and giving advance notice to the media of a reporting restriction order application. A subtopic dedicated to maintenance payable via the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has also been added, including a new Practice Note on changing and challenging a maintenance calculation or other CMS decision.

This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes analyses of non-disclosure in the context of pre-nuptial agreements, a checklist for the assessment of mental capacity, together with a correction to the Financial Remedies Court Primary Principles document where there has been a failed private FDR. A successful appeal against a decision not to impose sanctions on a mother in committal proceedings and details of the first Online Procedure Rule Committee annual open meeting are also set out.

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes analysis of the Court of Appeal decision on whether the term cohabitants in section 53 and Schedule 7 to the Family Law Act 1996 includes the parties to a void marriage, the expansion of the HMCTS court reform timetable to March 2025 and reporting in public children proceedings where there are ongoing criminal investigations. Consideration is also given to the decision of Mrs Justice Knowles in relation to the importance of non-court dispute resolution and the changes to Part 3 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 that are due to come into effect on 29 April 2024.

This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes details of updated guidance issued by the Bar Standards Board on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies by barristers. Recent judgments on an application under the High Court’s inherent jurisdiction for a summary return order, an appeal by a putative father against welfare orders concerning arrangements for a child whose paternity could not be conclusively determined between twin brothers and a fact-finding application within care proceedings in which the judgment contained judicial endorsement of AI-assisted judicial communication are also considered.