In this briefing, Kerry Nicholson considers developments in the mediation market over the last 12 months, including the planned introduction of compulsory mediation in the small claims track and beyond. While we all await, with eagerness, the Court of Appeal’s decision in James Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Dr Russell Wilcox reviews the caselaw and judicial shifts which have led us to where we are now.
This will be the last ADR bulletin of 2023 so wishing you all a happy and restful holiday period. I look forward to bringing more from the world of ADR to all of you in 2024.
Much of children law involves the exploration of the facts relating to the child’s care and welfare, often coloured by the complex relationship dynamics between the adult protagonists. Occasionally, however, the facts which need to be established can be more fundamental. In John v Jane…
By Laura Hibberd Re E (A Child) (Special Guardianship Order: Public Law Proceedings) [2026] EWCA Civ 1167 Special guardianship orders are often thought of as the “middle ground” of permanence: more secure than a care order, less final than adoption, and with the child’s legal…
By Tim Parker KC The President of the Family Division handed down judgment on 29th September 2026 the decision in the first appeal following the introduction of Child-Focused Courts pilot. In Re C (Child Arrangements Orders; Domestic Abuse; Child Focused Court) [2026] EWCA Civ 1216…
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