Sir James Munby

Sir James Munby Immediate Past President of the Family Division

Articles by Author

Reform and the future of family justice: where is the court modernisation programme heading? 18 OCT 2018

Reform and the future of family justice: where is the court modernisation programme heading?

The following is an extract from a talk delivered by the immediate past President of the Family...

President’s Circular: Financial Remedies Court Pilot Phase 2 27 JUL 2018

President’s Circular: Financial Remedies Court Pilot Phase 2

1. Following the successful initiation of the Financial Remedies Court project in the West...

Pilot Practice Direction 36I – Procedure for online filing of certain applications for consent orders for a financial remedy in connection with matrimonial proceedings 27 JUL 2018

Pilot Practice Direction 36I – Procedure for online filing of certain applications for consent orders for a financial remedy in connection with matrimonial proceedings

This Practice Direction supplementing the Family Procedure Rules 2010 is made by the President...

President’s Guidance: Addition to Compendium of Standard Family Orders 26 JUL 2018

President’s Guidance: Addition to Compendium of Standard Family Orders

The links to the three new orders (numbered 22.1, 22.2 and 22.3) to be added to the compendium of...

Practice Guidance: Children Arbitration in the Family Court 26 JUL 2018

Practice Guidance: Children Arbitration in the Family Court

1. This Guidance concerns the interface between the Family Court and Arbitrations conducted in...

President’s Guidance: Arrangements for adoption visits 24 JUL 2018

President’s Guidance: Arrangements for adoption visits

1. Paragraphs 25-29 of President’s Guidance 10 April 2018; Listing Final Hearings in Adoption...

Care crisis: Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) 21 JUN 2018

Care crisis: Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC)

In the same week as we saw the launch of the Care Crisis Review, undertaken by the Family Rights...

Draft revised Practice Direction 27A – Family Proceedings: Court Bundles (Universal Practice to be applied in the High Court and Family Court) 20 JUN 2018

Draft revised Practice Direction 27A – Family Proceedings: Court Bundles (Universal Practice to be applied in the High Court and Family Court)

This Practice Direction supplements FPR Part 27 and comes into force on 23 July 2018 [Note by...

Practice Guidance: Standard children and other orders 07 JUN 2018

Practice Guidance: Standard children and other orders

On 30 November 2017 I issued 'Practice Guidance: Standard financial and enforcement orders'...

President of the Family Division agrees protocol on communicating with UK Visas and Immigration in Family Proceedings 16 MAY 2018

President of the Family Division agrees protocol on communicating with UK Visas and Immigration in Family Proceedings

Protocol agreed between the President of the Family Division and the Home Office issued on 16...

Practice Guidance: Standard financial and enforcement orders (addendum no 2) 15 MAY 2018

Practice Guidance: Standard financial and enforcement orders (addendum no 2)

On 30 November 2017 I issued ‘Practice Guidance: Standard financial and enforcement orders’...

Reform for the Family jurisdiction: A message to family judges from the President of the Family Division 10 MAY 2018

Reform for the Family jurisdiction: A message to family judges from the President of the Family Division

1. How will the Reform Programme achieve change for the administration of family justice? 1.1 As...

President's Guidance (Interim): Defective divorce petitions/decrees 23 APR 2018

President's Guidance (Interim): Defective divorce petitions/decrees

1. Section 3 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 provides as follows: 'Bar on petitions for...

President’s Guidance: Listing final hearings in adoption cases 11 APR 2018

President’s Guidance: Listing final hearings in adoption cases

Introduction 1. This Guidance is issued with the purpose of clarifying the legal requirements...

President’s Guidance: Family proceedings: Parents with a learning disability 10 APR 2018

President’s Guidance: Family proceedings: Parents with a learning disability

In Re D (Non-Availability of Legal Aid) (No 2) [2015] EWFC 2, [2015] 1 FLR 1247, and again in...

Practice Guidance: Case Management and Mediation of International Child Abduction Proceedings 13 MAR 2018

Practice Guidance: Case Management and Mediation of International Child Abduction Proceedings

1. Introduction 1.1. For the purposes of this Practice Guidance, 'international child abduction...

President’s Guidance: Jurisdiction of the family court 28 FEB 2018

President’s Guidance: Jurisdiction of the family court

President's Guidance: Jurisdiction of the family court: allocation of cases within the family...

18th View from the President’s Chambers: the on-going process of reform – Financial Remedies Courts 23 JAN 2018

18th View from the President’s Chambers: the on-going process of reform – Financial Remedies Courts

Although there has been much reform of the processes and procedures in the family justice system...

Practice Guidance: Standard Financial and Enforcement Orders (Addendum) 23 JAN 2018

Practice Guidance: Standard Financial and Enforcement Orders (Addendum)

On 30 November 2017, I issued 'Practice Guidance: Standard Financial and Enforcement Orders,'...

Book review: Sir James Munby on Mr Justice McCardie (1869-1933): Rebel, Reformer and Rogue Judge 09 AUG 2017

Book review: Sir James Munby on Mr Justice McCardie (1869-1933): Rebel, Reformer and Rogue Judge

The full version of this article appears in the August 2017 issue of Family Law.  Find out...

17th View from the President’s Chambers: Divorce and money – where are we and where are we going? 15 MAY 2017

17th View from the President’s Chambers: Divorce and money – where are we and where are we going?

The advance towards the digital court, heralded by the progress towards on-line divorce (in which...

16th View from the President's Chambers: Children and vulnerable witnesses: where are we? 20 JAN 2017

16th View from the President's Chambers: Children and vulnerable witnesses: where are we?

The related issues of how the family justice system accommodates the needs of children attending...

15th View from the President’s Chambers: care cases: the looming crisis 19 SEP 2016

15th View from the President’s Chambers: care cases: the looming crisis

In my last View, published in September [2016] Fam Law 1102, I drew attention to the seemingly...

14th View from the President’s Chambers: Care cases: Settlement conferences and the ‘tandem’ model 15 AUG 2016

14th View from the President’s Chambers: Care cases: Settlement conferences and the ‘tandem’ model

The number of new care cases continues to rise, seemingly relentlessly. Cafcass figures show that...

The President’s Address at the Annual Dinner of the Family Law Bar Association 02 MAR 2015

The President’s Address at the Annual Dinner of the Family Law Bar Association

Speech by Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, at the Annual Dinner of the Family...

President outlines MOJ research on LIPs cross examining witnesses in private family proceedings 27 FEB 2015

President outlines MOJ research on LIPs cross examining witnesses in private family proceedings

I am pleased to report that the Ministry of Justice is intending to gather information, and...

Transparency - The Next Steps: A Consultation Paper issued by the President of the Family Division on 15 August 2014 17 AUG 2014

Transparency - The Next Steps: A Consultation Paper issued by the President of the Family Division on 15 August 2014

A key element of the family justice reforms is the transparency agenda – finding ways of opening...

13th View from the President's Chambers: The process of reform: an update 17 AUG 2014

13th View from the President's Chambers: The process of reform: an update

In my last ‘View’, [2014] Fam Law 978, I set out the next steps in the ongoing process of...

12th View from the President's Chamber: The process of reform: next steps 09 JUN 2014

12th View from the President's Chamber: The process of reform: next steps

On 22 April 2014 we saw the implementation of the final version of the revised PLO in public...

In the President’s Court 29 April 2014 07 MAY 2014

In the President’s Court 29 April 2014

Before Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice, Lord...

11th View from the President's Chamber: The Process of reform: on the cusp of history 15 APR 2014

11th View from the President's Chamber: The Process of reform: on the cusp of history

We stand on the cusp of history. 22 April 2014 marks the largest reform of the family justice...

Protecting the rights of vulnerable and incapacitous adults – the role of the courts: an example of judicial law making [2014] CFLQ 64 10 MAR 2014

Protecting the rights of vulnerable and incapacitous adults – the role of the courts: an example of judicial law making [2014] CFLQ 64

Keywords: Inherent jurisdiction – vulnerable adults – mental capacity – Court of Protection...

President's speech to FLBA 05 MAR 2014

President's speech to FLBA

Address by the President, Sir James Munby, at the Annual Dinner of the Family Law Bar...

View from the President’s chambers: the beginning of the future 13 FEB 2014

View from the President’s chambers: the beginning of the future

We are rapidly approaching the date for formal implementation of the family justice reforms....

View from the President’s Chambers: the process of reform: the revised PLO and the local authority 17 MAY 2013

View from the President’s Chambers: the process of reform: the revised PLO and the local authority

The President of the Family Division summarises a new interim Public Law Outline (PLO) which...

Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division: Marriage from the 18th to 21st Century 08 MAY 2013

Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division: Marriage from the 18th to 21st Century

The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting Annual Lecture for 2013 given by Sir James Munby,...