The Family Law Podcast - The ups and downs of family law

Rather prematurely, this episode was suppose to be celebrating 30 years of the FDR… It is in fact 26 years since the introduction of FDRs but Maria Henty and Geoffrey Kelly have decided to discuss their development and the current state of play anyway. Maria and Geoff discuss the changes over the past two decades and the development of pFDR, and what might happen in the future.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of the Pump Court Chambers Family Law Podcast, Rebekah Batt is joined by Edward Cooke, Charlotte Millard and Victoria Ellis to discuss “Putting Children First” following the publication of the Family Solutions Group Report of the same title in March of this year and linked here.The discussion includes a summary of the report and the recommendations therein, how good the court system currently is at hearing the ‘voice of the child’, what we can do to improve and how professionals might reduce conflict in Children Act cases. Other resources referenced or relevant and useful are as follows: Separated Parenting Programme Directory – linked here; Dame Rachel de Souza’s letter to separating parents – linked here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode The Family Law Podcast meets Annmarie Carvalho’s Staying Sane in Law podcast for an exciting chat about the ups and downs of family law, what Annmarie brings to the table as a former family lawyer turned therapist, Annmarie’s book Staying Sane in Family Law, and what its like to swap the host’s chair for the guest seat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Henty, in this episode, is joined by Isabella Thomas-Kelly and Natalya Evans to discuss applying for 3rd six pupillages and how to deal with and manage the disappointment of not being taken on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode of this series of the Pump Court Family Law Podcast, Rebekah Batt is joined by Jennifer Pollock and Catriona Ellis, of Irwin Mitchell, and Elena Johnson of Pump Court Chambers to discuss neurodiversity in private children proceedings. This episode was inspired by Catriona and Jennifer’s article linked here and includes discussion around helpful evidence for the court and authors of section 7 reports, how to deal with cases where there is no diagnosis, when to start thinking about the issue and methods to assist parties with neurodiversity, as well as neurodivergent children. Other resources referred to or which may be useful are: Family Justice Council Guidance on Neurodiversity in the Family Justice System, January 2025 – linked here;Sunflower Lanyard scheme in HMCTS – details linked here; (not referenced but useful) Practice Guidance on the use of Intermediaries, Lay Advocates and Cognitive Assessments in the Family court from January 2025 (updated November 2025) – linked here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Family Law podcast from Pump Court Chambers! In this first episode of the new series, Maria talks to the head of the financial remedies team at Pump Court, Edward Boydell KC. Ed and Maria get stuck into all things LSPOs and talk about the ins and outs of CC v UU [2025] EWFC 214, and the state of the law more generally when it comes to funding litigation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Henty and Rebekah Batt present a new series of exciting guests and topics on the Family Law Podcast. The summer guest list includes Pump Court's Geoffrey Kelly, Albert Gibbon, and Jenna Lucas, along with Samantha Hilas KC, the charity 'Not Beyond Redemption,' and many more. The topics will cover '30 years of FDR', neurodiversity, and welfare checklists, along with many other interesting discussions. Stay tuned for a new episode every two weeks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, led by Rebekah,Maria and Rebekah are joined by Emma Post of NE Family Law. With the assistance of Rebekah, Maria and Emma discuss the recent judgment of CR v CO [2025] EWFC 494 (B) from HHJ Hess, in which Maria was instructed by Emma on a pro-bono basis in litigation spanning many years. The podcast addresses civil restraint orders and pro bono costs orders and how helpful these are to have in one’s arsenal.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special spring bonus episode, which was a little while in the making, Maria Henty is joined by Heather Souter and Ben Marshall.Heather is a partner in the family team at Paris Smith and an expert in ‘farming cases’.Ben is a partner at Woolley and Wallis, and is a chartered surveyor and a FAAV.The episode covers how to go about instructing experts in ‘farming cases’ and the common pitfalls that may arise.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another special edition of the Family Law Podcast, we once again return to the Langham. This time for the annual debate, the motion was “This chambers believes that robots can and should take over the FRC”. Tune in to find out whether long time debate champion Annie Ward retains her crown.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.