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NLJ this week: What became of the ‘harm report’ recommendations?

02 September 2022
Issue: 7992 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Criminal
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A 2020 report raised hopes that much-needed change was coming to the treatment of domestic abuse cases in the family courts, but what has happened since? 

Writing in this week’s NLJ, Cris McCurley, partner at Ben Hoare Bell, looks at the ‘harm report’ and whether its recommendations have been implemented.

He covers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which not only led to a rise in domestic abuse but also threw into ‘stark relief’ the consequences of a more than a decade of severe cuts. He covers a Court of Appeal judgment in four conjoined appeals last year, Re H-N and others (children) as well as a more recent case and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

McCurley asks, ‘are the harm report’s recommendations going to fall by the wayside due to ubiquitous lack of sufficient resources to deal with domestic abuse properly?’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
The ex-wife of a Russian billionaire has won her bid to bring her financial relief claim in London, in a unanimous Court of Appeal decision
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