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Proposed financial remedies shake-up for family courts

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Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, has confirmed that HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) will trial a new ‘financial remedies’ Court in 2018.

The news follows ongoing calls to separate divorce itself from related financial claims – the latter of which can often take much longer for families and solicitors to resolve.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the new financial remedies Courts will be rolled out from February next year, initially allowing for financial disputes to be heard in bespoke Courts in locations such as:

  • London
  • The West Midlands
  • South East Wales

It has been suggested that other cities and regions will follow once the initial pilot scheme has begun.

Announcing the news, Sir James Munby said that calls to consider a network of financial remedies Courts had been “persuasively argued” by local authorities and other bodies in recent months.

In an official circular, he also confirmed that he himself supported the idea, and that a series of regional ‘financial remedies hubs’ would be established in the near future.

“I envisage that further pilots will follow quite shortly on a rolling programme,” he said.

According to up-to-date research, the average amount of time taken for a divorce case to reach its final stage or ‘decree absolute’ has risen steadily in recent years, and currently sits at around 49 weeks.

MFG Solicitors’ family team can advise on divorce, separation and all other aspects of family law. For more information about how we could help you, please contact us.   

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