Family Courts Bill risks 'delaying justice' for domestic violence victims

The Bill was introduced in 2022 with the aim of putting family and children at the centre of the nation’s justice system.

Proposed changes include the establishment of a family court and specialist training for full-time family law judges.However, there are concerns around the proposed move of proceedings from the Circuit Court to the District Court when land owned by the couple is below valued at below €1 million.“The addition of an extra 5,000 cases is going to further delay very important hearings for our clients who are survivors of domestic violence,” she said.

“Every delay is going to mean more distress, more expense and may even have implications for the safety of those people.”Family Lawyers Association Chair Paul McCarthy said they do not oppose the entirety of the Bill - but the focus should be on improving what is already there.“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel by putting all of that in the District Court where there is no such structure.

“So, why not take all of the resources that are going to be committed to the District Court project and put them into the Circuit Court and just make it better?” Justice Minister Helen McEntee is due to meet with family law practitioners next week to discuss the Bill.

Courts Domestic Violence Family Law Women

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

We’re heading for an unfair, elitist two-tier divorce systemThe Family Courts Bill 2022 will shoehorn approximately 6,000 complex family law cases into an already overburdened District Court, the A&E of the justice system
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Nuclear Family: drama turns on a family DNA testA brilliant take on the family saga, drawing upon zeitgeist debates around health data and sperm donation
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Ireland’s independent courts system ‘should not be taken for granted’, says Chief JusticeTop-level programme of events and projects will mark centenary of establishment of independent courts
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

‘Big Jim’ Larkin brought first appeal before new Irish Supreme Court 100 years agoCommencement of independent Irish courts in 1924 ‘the moment when the silence of the Gael in the courts of law is broken’
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Chief Justice says ‘unrealistic’ expectations of role underline need for ‘comprehensive’ reformArtificial Intelligence is ‘looming challenge’ to courts, District Court president tells centenary conference
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

US Republican states step up legal threats to Joe Biden’s climate agendaNew rules to curb pollution set to face a barrage of challenges in the courts
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »