S12E04 - All Change! No Change!

On this week's show, which you can listen to by clicking these very words, Ben and Kirstin talk their way through the so-called "revolution" in the family courts. It is something of an oddity that reforms that actually do very little in terms of changing the status quo and, instead, assume that lawyers have been doing it wrong for all of this time, should be heralded as a "revolution" by a political judge.  Check out the government hype in the links below. Not content with having a pop at the President of the Family Division's self-congratulation, Ben finds the...

S12E03 - A Rare Thing Indeed!

On this week's show, which you can hear by clicking here, we are joined by lap-dancer-turned-law-student, Vanessa Knowles to talk about how a law student making good money from being very visible online might encounter problems in a future career.  It turns out things are not as bleak as you might think. We talk about how not to deal with the Court of Appeal when it comes to having a pop at a client's previous lawyers and how the Court uses its rarely-wielded power to dismiss a case without a hearing of any sort. We look at a...

S12E02 - The New Way(a)

The Way(a) to listen is to click here! Enough with the awful title and dreadful pun - is it a pun?  This week we transport you to the sunny shores of Cape Town via a fascinating interview with barrister David Pojur, telling us all about the legal system that's currently trying Oscar Pistorius. We come closer to home although no further from scandalous trials to look at the Nigel Evans trial in Preston.  Ben's promised link to the Code for Crown Prosecutors is here. Kirstin discusses Re G a family case with wider importance to absent fathers and...

S12E01 - Proposals

Listen Here Welcome back.  It's the glorious Twelfth! In week one, we talk to Family Barrister Joe Lynch about the proposed changes to the child cruelty laws to add in emotional abuse.  Should it be done?  Can it be done?  How's it done in the rest of the world?  The Action for Children report can be found here We exclusively reveal how much the Lord Chancellor's car costs - STOP PRESS!! And we confuse you completely with the proposed theft sentencing guidelines - don't forget to engage with the consultation to try at least to make it less...