News
Reporting pilot for Financial Remedies Court proceedings announced
Journalists and legal bloggers will be able to report on financial remedies proceedings in the Financial Remedies Court (FRC) at three courts from 29 January 2024, in the latest reporting pilot launched by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane.
This is the latest announcement following Sir Andrew McFarlane’s “Transparency in the Family Court” review, which was published in 2021, and committed to achieving better and purposeful transparency in the family court, to increase understanding and scrutiny of the system.
The FRC reporting pilot will cover the Central Family Court, Birmingham and Leeds. FRC proceedings concern financial issues that need to be resolved after the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership, including financial support for children.
As part of the pilot, cause lists for all FRC courts, including cases heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, will name the parties and state that the proceedings involve financial remedies.
The pilot will not include Financial Dispute Resolution hearings which remain a vital, and confidential, part of the process to enable parties to reach settlement with the assistance of the judge. Financial Dispute Resolution hearings are a without prejudice settlement meeting at court which under the rules of court cannot be attended by the media, nor can the contents be referred to publicly.