15 years since the Family Justice Review

Lord Justice Cobb, Chair of the Family Law Bar Association in 2010–2011; High Court Judge 2013–2025; Lord Justice of Appeal since 2025

In its two transformative reports, published in 2011, the Family Justice Review panel proposed fundamental reform to the operation of family justice; there was much to do to address its many recognised shortcomings. This article examines how the key recommendations were indeed implemented – notably, but not exclusively, the creation of the Family Court, the revision to Children Act 1989 terminology, and the creation of the Family Justice Board. It discusses the impact of legal aid reform (2012), CV-19 (2020-2022), and the growing awareness of the impact of domestic abuse on families following the Harm Panel Report (2020), and how these significant influences affected the family justice landscape and the trajectory of change. This article examines the lack of a ‘system’ of family justice identified by the panel, and the continued detachment of the court from non-court dispute resolution services.

The full article has published in the March issue of Family Law.  Find out more or request a free 1-week trial of Family Law journal. Please quote: 100482