In April 2024, changes were made to the Family Procedure Rules to encourage more people to use non-court-based methods to resolve financial issues arising from divorce or over their children.

Matt & Liza discuss these changes and share their (sometimes very different) opinions on what they think about the changes, and what does it actually mean for separating couples?

00:30 What are the Family Procedure Rules?
01:01 What were the changes?
01:31 What is non-court dispute resolution (NCDR)?
03:30 What are the positives of the changes? And how will it work in practice?07:00 How are the family courts approaching it?
08:25 What are the limitations?
14:24 What about cases with domestic abuse or power imbalance?
17:56 Is NCDR actually a cheaper alternative?
21:23 Is the family court slowly being privatised?
23:02 Will the changes actually make any difference?
24:17 The role of case law from NA v LA [2024] EWFC 113 (24 May 2024) and its limitations
27:11 The challenges of the changes
28:35 How do the changes impact separating couples, and what do they need to do?

Additional resources

The role of the family court: https://bit.ly/480zrlh
The dangers of a DIY divorce: https://bit.ly/3Tsvql7
Representing yourself in the family court (podcast): https://bit.ly/472zXhd
How to represent yourself in the family court (video): https://youtu.be/1i4cD8bZYcM
How to manage child hearings in the family court: https://youtu.be/gYg86a-A_l0
How mediation can help you separate: https://bit.ly/3MdX4y4

Download our free in-depth handbook on how to complete a Form E: https://bit.ly/3A7MMvN or Beginner’s Guide to Divorce: https://bit.ly/beginnersdivorceguide

If you need support with the issues raised in this podcast, or would like to speak to a family lawyer, contact Stowe at: https://bit.ly/35WPSj2

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