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18 November 2016
Issue: 7723 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 18 November 2016

Fee remission less painful; divorce competitions & civil appeal form changes

BIG SAVINGS ON FEES

You call it remission. HMC&TS in cuddly speak calls it help with court and tribunal fees. There’s now an option to apply for remission online and just published are a revised guide EX160A (surely they could rename it ticklyboo 160A) and simplified application form EX160 with it. Mercifully, bank statements and other documentary evidence formerly required need not accompany but may be called in.

SERIAL PROBLEM

There have been cases where the names and addresses of adoptive parents have been inadvertently revealed to the birth parents because serial numbers protecting the former’s identity have not been assigned by the court or assigned late. In some instances, the adoptive family have had to be relocated or the adoptive placement has broken down. The Family Procedure (Amendment No 3) Rules (SI 2016/1013) which came into force on 14 November 2016 are aimed at fixing the problem. Serial numbers will be automatically assigned in future rather than assigned on request, as at

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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