caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewfc/2026/38 Important new judgment on "parental alienation". The President says that every agency was at fault in separating a boy from his mother based on the views of an unqualified "expert"

we watched the Supreme Court hearing on X & Y (setting aside an adoption order) Here's an update

We've written before, (13 May 2021; 12 August 2021) about the very limited circumstances in which an adoption order can be set aside (sometimes described as 'revoked'). The current law is that it is possible for an order to be set aside if the court... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30430

Having finally caught up with the need to do a story about Inheritance Tax the scriptwriters are making a total mess of it! Don’t seem to have made any attempt to understand the issues. Disappointing #thearchers

UK Gov Legal Dept has written to courtsdesk on behalf of HMCTS/MOJ asking them to pause deletion of their archive

more questions for family courts about "expert" evidence beatrixcampbell.co.uk/melanie-gill... comprehensive analysis by @campbellbeatrix.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb... by @hansummers.bsky.social also now reported in @theguardian.com Will other cases be reviewed?

A mother whose children were taken by the family court has been vindicated after a 6 yr struggle to have evidence from an unregulated psychologist overturned. The advice of Melanie Gill led to "draconian" orders terminating her relationship with her kids. My report here 👉 tinyurl.com/ypp99rka

Mother vindicated after top judge overturns evidence of… | TBIJ share.google/ToiNe07hdWrp...

new Control & the Law podcast with Prof. Rosemary Hunter and @jdkc.bsky.social discussing domestic abuse in family courts open.spotify.com/episode/2Vs0...

www.judiciary.uk/related-offi... 5 March FJC annual conference. Bridget Lindley lecture to be given by @lisaharker.bsky.social . Theme is use of AI & technology in family law

new Parliamentary briefing on improving life for children in care in England researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/PO...

Training and resources were the key themes to emerge at last month's fund-raising Family Law Breakfast, marking Support Through Court’s 25th anniversary, with a panel discussion about trauma in the family courts.  The event on 21 January 2026 was... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30418

new Court of Appeal judgment on adoption vs long term fostering caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/202...

thank you Martin for including a recent report on a family court case where an adoption plan was contested, that I wrote for @seethrujustice.transparencyproject.org.uk

December-January Roundup of family courts in the media, new cases, and transparency news

Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW, TRANSPARENCY etc The Financial... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30368

Govt's court reforms have focussed on crown court backlogs, but they will put more pressure on magistrates courts that also have record backlogs. A great new @transformjustice.bsky.social report looks at the causes of poor productivity in the magistrates

www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2... This week the Supreme Court will hear the appeal against the judgments that the High Court can't use its inherent jurisdiction to set aside a validly made adoption order, when the children are older and want the adoption to be 'undone'

A significant decision has been made by Mr Justice Poole in the High Court, allowing a journalist access to a number of psychological reports that were commissioned in family proceedings.  Although when a Transparency Order (TO) is made under the... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30342

The family court will not carry out a wholesale review of cases involving the unregulated psychologist, Melanie Gill, @tbij.bsky.social can reveal. Meanwhile mothers who had their children taken away after Gill gave evidence in their cases demand a public apology. tinyurl.com/595ah2e5

Arbuthnot J asks local authorities to please comply with the law and share safeguarding information with the DBS! www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWF...

the risks of sharing personal information from court proceedings with third party AI systems. Thanks @alexcisneros.bsky.social

This is a guest post by  Alex Cisneros, barrister at 39 Essex Chambers. Although it is primarily concerned with cases in the Court of Protection, the risks of using AI apply equally to family law cases, particularly where they have been or will be... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30331

Excellent legal blog by @juliedoughty.bsky.social with insights into contested adoption hearings. Via @seethrujustice.transparencyproject.org.uk transparencyproject.org.uk/much-loved-t...

A legal blogging report on contested adoption proceedings - it's quite long, but these hearings are rarely scrutinsed by a reporter, so we hope this is helpful. Many cultural and procedural issues

‘Tomas’ is a two year old boy who was removed from his parents to live in foster care under an interim care order in January 2025. (None of the parties’ real names are used in this post.) In a three-day final hearing in November, care and... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30318

We have collected some of the obituaries and public tributes to Sir James, focusing mainly on his contribution to family justice. Sir James was a proactive supporter of The Transparency Project. He passed away on 1st January. Patrick Kidd, 'Outspoken... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30277

A media lawyer who was fined £50,000 for professional misconduct and ordered to pay £260,000 in costs after writing to a journalist in 2022 on behalf of the then chancellor of the exchequer Nadim Zahawi has had his disciplinary finding and penalty set aside. rozenberg.substack.com/p/slapper-sl...

The end of a trial does not always bring clarity and closure. That's why we're making access to a judge's sentencing remarks free for all victims. Helping them understand the outcome of the case that has shaped their life, so they can finally move forward.

The Covid lockdown period provided unexpected opportunities to discover the advantages and disadvantages of holding court hearings 'remotely' online. Currently, family courts prefer to hold hearings in person but there's a general move toward more... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30259

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle... We assume this journalist was able to observe family court hearings under the Open Reporting provisions. Good to see a research-based book coming out on this topic, probably unlikely before the Pilot and rule change

What's the difference between a barrister and a solicitor (version 2.0) pinktape.co.uk/uncategorize...

Sir James Munby's greatest hits - ten significant child law decisions - by @pollyemorgan.bsky.social

If you have been to family court, there is a good chance that your case was influenced by decisions made by Sir James Munby, who has died aged 77. As a barrister, as a judge, and finally as President of the Family Division – the most senior family... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30246

Interesting research on the persisting myths on fairness in divorce academic.oup.com/lawfam/artic...

Why has a Family Court judgment just been published a year after it was given, when six months ago the Court of Appeal decided it was wrong? BBC v Carer & ors; Re HMP

A heavily redacted judgment about a BBC application to the Family Court appeared on BAILII and The National Archives (TNA) in December (last month) although it had been delivered a year earlier. We can also see from the number – 421 – that this... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30232

Comprehensive coverage of Sir James Munby's achievements here by @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social

I am very sad about this. James Munby was not just clever and driven, he was also funny and kind.

We are very sad to learn of the death last week of Sir James Munby, the former President of the Family Division and an active supporter of The Transparency Project. No doubt much will be said in the next few days about Sir James' huge contribution to... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30229

new - what do children and parents say about the Pathfinder Pilot in private law? Not as positive as you might think

The evaluation of children and families’ experiences in the first stage of the Pathfinder Pilot was published this week by the Ministry of Justice, ‘Understanding the experience of children and families’. This research covers interviews during... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30221

The Ministry of Justice should consider changing its name to the Ministry of Justice (for Certain People) if it refuses to “wake up” on the subject of legal aid, the chair of the Commons public accounts committee suggests in comments published this morning. rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...

Parliament is looking at legal aid committees.parliament.uk/event/25811

www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/uk/domestic-... new book by Jo Delahunty & other lawyers

Court lifts grandmother’s anonymity at her request | The Transparency Project share.google/d9O5JvutCxSs... now updated with Times article referring to Jade's Law (still not in force)

On 1 January 2026. our founder and chair, Lucy Reed KC, will commence her two year term as Vice Chair of the Family Law Bar Association. Consequently, Lucy will be stepping back from her role as chair of The Transparency Project. Fellow founding... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30202

We wrote about this case - Court lifts grandmother’s anonymity at her request | The Transparency Project share.google/ZZOkulpxzDBB... New piece in The Times about the grandmother's battle to care for her grand daughter after the father murdered the mother www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...