Training materials

Training materials

Family law training materials

There are certain key areas of family law that are indispensable for both experienced family practitioners, and those new to family law, including trainee solicitors and paralegals. This subtopic sets out practical guidance on a range of family law topics, with introductory guidance for each area and navigational assistance to content including Practice Notes, Procedural Guides, Precedents and Forms.

See Practice Note: Family law training materials.

Family calculators

There are certain calculators available to assist family lawyers, including a child maintenance calculator, state pension calculator and legal aid calculator. Other calculators include, inter alia, retail price index (RPI) and consumer price index (CPI) calculators, a life expectancy calculator and an interest on judgment debt calculator.

See Practice Note: Family calculators.

Family flowcharts

The following flowcharts set out the steps to be taken in various family proceedings in a graphic format with links to relevant overviews, Practice Notes, precedents, procedural guides, client guides, legislation, forms and further reading links:

Divorce or civil partnership dissolution, sole application, standard case (post-DDSA 2020)—flowchart

Undefended divorce or civil partnership dissolution (pre-DDSA 2020)—flowchart

Amending an

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Latest Family News

Updated court fees in family proceedings from April 2025

The Ministry of Justice has announced, subject to parliamentary approval, a change to certain court and tribunal fees effective from April 2025. A significant number of court fees payable in family proceedings will be increasing. It is anticipated that the changes will take effect from 1 April 2025.

Transparency order documents in financial remedy proceedings may be shared with non-attending reporters (Vince v Vince)

Family analysis: Mr Justice Cusworth provided helpful guidance on transparency orders, which will be particularly useful for those advising in high-profile financial remedy proceedings with a substantial media interest. The substantive proceedings (see DAV v KV) concerned the division of circa £129.65m, of which the husband’s business comprised the majority of the asset base. As the current transparency guidance does not expressly deal with the forwarding of documents already provided under a transparency order to attending reporters (a ‘comparatively grey area’), the husband sought to limit the availability of the documents to the attending reporters only. His arguments were roundly rejected by the court, which clarified that the forwarding of documents to non-attending reporters would be permissible, provided they had been served with the relevant transparency order. David Wilkinson, solicitor at Slater Heelis, considers the issues.

President publishes guidance on the citation of authorities and judgments of circuit judges and district judges

The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has published guidance on the citation of authorities in relation to judgments of circuit judges and district judges. Increased transparency has led to an increase in the publication of judgments by Family Court judges below High Court level. Current guidance suggests that district judges should aim to publish a minimum of five judgments per year; circuit judges, between five and ten. In the Financial Remedies Court (FRC), publication of judgments below High Court level has been explicitly encouraged for some time as decisions at High Court judge level and above are not representative of the vast majority of cases. Publication of FRC judgments by circuit and district judges therefore promotes greater transparency and a consistency of approach. The President notes that the Practice Direction on the citation of authorities [2001] WLR 1001 (providing when a judgment below High Court level may be cited) has not always been followed. The guidance sets out new principles that judgments at circuit and district judge level should not be cited unless they contain an express statement that the judge intends that the judgment should be citable (ie relied upon in the future in respect of that legal issue).

Family weekly highlights—27 February 2025

This week's edition of Family weekly highlights includes Family Public Law (FPL) release notes 8 and 9 of 2025 regarding design changes to be made to the FPL HMCTS portal as to Form C110a document upload functionality and gatekeeping, guidance for the judiciary from the President of the Family Division on writing to children and details of a survey on special measures in family proceedings. Analysis of two Court of Appeal decisions on the correct approach to an application to change a child’s given name and the jurisdiction to revoke or set aside an adoption order are detailed. A new Practice Note on repayment of maintenance and power to remit arrears is also set out.