Family lawyers please come help me

[racmac]

I am a family Solicitor and have an interview on Thursday - I am returning to work after 3 years away.

Please tell me about any changes that i have missed.

I know there has been big changes with legal aid but thats it.

I dont want to turn up and for them to realise just how out of date i am or make myself look stupid

Thanks

ooh, good luck. I've been out of it for a few years too, short career break has turned out a bit longer than I expected.

Main changes since I left are Miller, McFarlane and other 'big money' cases which I had a good read up on. Might be before you left though.

Good news (for us lawyers) is that not many firms have public funding certificates any more, I hated doing all that paperwork.
Got a feeling I read somewhere that Calderbanks are no more.

I keep up to date (as much as DC allow) by reading updates on family law week. Free to read all their updates and you can pay around 100 pounds pa and do all your CPD through them.
This is one of the latest ones I've got through from them.

www.familylawweek.co.uk

I'm sure if you have a good mooch on their website you'll catch up on the lastest developments

Good luck

Brilliant thank you

I think the firm i have interview with have just been awarded LSC contract!!

oh no! poor you, I used to detest legal aid work. Too much time wasted on paperwork.

Hope all goes ok

Sorry, can't help with LSC - we ditched ours years ago. It wouldn't do any harm to have a look on the LSC commission website so you're at least au fait with the lingo.

MOS is right, Calderbanks are no more. You should still write an open position letter and a WP letter shortly before the hearing.

What else....CSA have changed slightly, not that significantly, again I'd have a look on the website.

The ancillary relief procedure is still the same, ie try to settle on voluntary Forms E, if not, file form A & do the standard directions, it's still the 3 tier stage of first appt, FDR, final hearing.

On Children Act stuff, the judges are leaning more towards shared residence than previously, and against removing from the jurisdiction.

Good luck!

TBH I think it would be safest to admit that you're slightly out of touch so need a quick half day course by way of update than risk talking bollocks.

Hi, go to the Resolution website for the latest on mediation/collab law etc. Most county courts are now less likely to issue children act proceedings as they are being pushed down to the FPC - cost saving reasons mainly. Oh - and CAFCASS are even slower and more toothless than they ever were, again people leaving and staff not being replaced!

Big changes forecast on cohab rights but depends if the government have the guts to push through the legislation needed. Resolution have info on this as do the law commission's website.

Yes, calderbank's not relevant but without prejudice offers still used in the run up to FDA/FDR hearings.

I've just started maternity leave and in a bit of a newborn and toddler blur but I don't think we've had judgement yet on Radmacher - worth knowing about as it's all about pre-nups. So far there have been different opinions in the count and then high court. Go to 1 Hare Court's website for details as their barristers are involved.

I agree that family law week is worth a look. It doesn't give much detail but at least gives you the headlines.

I'd also suggest doing a search for how many other firms in the area have an LSC contract as I suspect it's not very many. A friend of mine does public funding work in derbyshire and has a caseload of 300 so make sure you ask how many you'll have to deal with as my friend cannot cope and I can't say I blame her! Not able to give you much perspective on LSC as I have only done private paying work for the past 5 years.

Good luck with the interview.

You are all wonderful thank you

They are aware Im out of date - my application is quite clear that i havent worked in 3 years.

LSC work seems to have been removed from most of the firms locally so Im very surprised that they have been given a contract

It's not so much a matter of LSC work having been removed, ime, it's firms deciding that it's not worth the aggravation and ridiculous quantities of paperwork for a pittance.

A lot of firms round here have applied for new contracts and something like 46% have had them removed. MY old firm is currently appealing and i know there are a lot of firms in the area that do mainly legal aid work so wouldnt have walked away from it.

think Radmacher judgement due imminently, will make interesting (bedtime!) reading.

racmac, I guess it depends on the location. Here in a particularly affluent corner of the SE, we were glad to be shot of it tbh, but I used to work in an inner city practice in Liverpool which couldn't have survived without it

The Radmacher judgement has been promised 'imminently' since the end of May! Good luck with the interview. Jordans do a really good 1 day update course which I'd suggest you have a look at.