Lord Justice Ryder has hailed a “revolutionary culture of change” within the family justice system.
Speaking at the annual conference of family law association Resolution, the Court of Appeal judge said the path to a single family court in April next year would be marked by a series of incremental changes rather than a “big bang”. The aim was to “create a new court and better processes that work in the real world,” with a greater emphasis on establishing facts rather than adversarial confrontation.
The recently appointed Lord Justice of Appeal praised Resolution, which works to promote a non-confrontational approach to family law, for their “enormous and considerable contribution to the modernisation programme.”
The ‘single family court’ was a key component of the Lord Justice Ryder’s report Judicial Proposals for the Modernisation of Family Justice, published in summer last year. It will see judges and magistrates handling family law cases reorganised into a single court and sitting in the same buildings wherever possible.
Resolution chair Liz Edwards said:
“Resolution is honoured that Lord Justice Ryder chose our national conference to set out the path to a single family court in April 2014. I am proud of the positive and productive relationship we have enjoyed with him in his role as Judge in Charge of the Modernisation of Family Justice and we look forward to continuing to play a leading role as these changes unfold.”