As we come towards the end of August, we are suddenly aware that it feels as though the year has absolutely flown by! So here are some updates on what we have been doing for the last few months, including welcoming new members to the team, reported cases and work we are doing with our local community.
Welcoming Kate Prager and Maya La Corbiniere!
We were excited to welcome two new members to the team earlier this year. Kate Prager is a solicitor who joined us in April from Horsham Family Law and has fit into the team absolutely brilliantly. She has been working primarily in matrimonial and Children Act issues, and has experience representing vulnerable clients, parents in public law proceedings and private, legal aid and domestic abuse injunctions.
We were also joined by Maya La Corbiniere in May. Maya joined us as a trainee solicitor with a background in mental health and complex criminal matters concerning vulnerable victims of domestic abuse and sexual abuse; her intention is to specialise in family law once qualified. She has been a brilliant asset to the team and we are so happy to have her!
Reported Cases and Resolution
Sam and Sarah’s Reported Cases
We have been reflecting this year on the family court reporting pilot and how it is working towards making family law transparent. As Sir Andrew McFarlane, Family Division president, said earlier this year, ‘extending the reporting pilot to family courts across the country is a huge step in the judiciary’s ongoing work to increase transparency and improve public confidence and understanding of the family justice system.’ Our team have been involved in proceedings in the last year where, though the judgment was delivered in private, the judge gave leave for the final judgment to be published on the condition that any children and members of their family be kept anonymous. Though these cases weren’t reported on in relation to the reporting pilot, it is important to note that the family court is pushing towards increasing transparency and we are so happy to see our team being recognised for the hard work they do.
Our own Samantha Barker acted in cases in 2023 that have now been published and we are very proud. Acting for the father in West Sussex County Council v MM & Ors [2023] and as a Guardian in Surrey County Council v LV & Ors [2023], Samantha has been involved in cases regarding non-accidental injury and public law proceedings where the children had been the subjects of an interim care order. Please see here for the reported judgments:
West Sussex County Council v MM & Ors [2023]:
West Sussex County Council v MM & Ors [2023] EWFC 38 (23 March 2023) (bailii.org)
West Sussex County Council v MM & Ors [2023] EWFC 88 (13 June 2023) (bailii.org)
Surrey County Council v LV & Ors [2023]:
Surrey County Council v LV & Ors [2023] EWFC 186 (14 September 2023) (bailii.org)
We are also so proud that our own Sarah Dummett worked on the reported appeal O, Re (Care Proceedings) [2024] instructing John Hatton. This appeal was regarding care proceedings in relation to children experiencing abuse in the family home and if a judge’s decision at a case management hearing to exclude a mother as a future carer for a child was unjust. Our work often has us as the first point of contact for quite stressful and traumatic circumstances, but we do this work for a reason. It is so important to us that clients feel secure and trusting of us, as we are often dealing with sensitive situations that require the empathy and kindness that our team prioritise. Please read the judgment below if you are interested:
O, Re (Care Proceedings) [2024]
O, Re (Care Proceedings) [2024] EWCA Civ 696 (20 June 2024) (bailii.org)
Resolution
We were lucky enough to attend a great event hosted by East Sussex and West Sussex Resolution, where our own Michelle Hardstone was given excellent information on updates to the alternative dispute resolution procedures (see our article on the day and updates here). We want to ensure our work is the absolute best it can be and we are providing the most up to date and accurate expert advice to our clients. The practitioners at Brighton & Hove Law are always abreast of changes and legal updates and fully aware of any proposed changes to the law.
Team Achievements
Finally, we are proud to announce that Ellie Chapman has passed her final module of the CILEX Fast Track Diploma and is now a graduate CILEX Advanced Paralegal! She is now on the path to becoming a chartered legal executive by next year and we are so excited for her!
Our Community
When you are working in the legal sector, it can often feel difficult to find the time for much else- client calls take priority over lunch, and sleep takes priority over dinner! But at Brighton & Hove Law, we think that being a part of your community is so important, particularly as an independent, boutique firm that prioritises providing an individualised service for every client we meet. So we have been pushing ourselves this year to continue to be a part of the community and showing up for other causes that we really care about. So in light of this, we will be sponsoring a category at the Clymping Dog Sanctuary dog show on August 25th. The sanctuary does brilliant work rehoming dogs and, as an office of dog lovers, we think it is so important to show support for independent charities doing great things. Please come on down if you want to show support (and see some of our team judging the Handsome Hound category!). See here for more information on this event and the work they do: Home | Clymping Dog Sanctuary.
We have also been collecting items for the Clock Tower Sanctuary– our social media officer has an ever-growing pile of toilet paper on her desk that is almost ready to be sent off. The Clock Tower Sanctuary is a brilliant organisation working in Brighton and Hove to support young people experiencing homelessness, so we wanted to highlight the work they do and support them the best way we can.
Want to get involved too?
There are also a number of brilliant events happening in the local Brighton & Hove area that we would like to highlight for anyone interested. Following Ellie Chapman’s incredibly impressive achievement in completing the Samaritans Challenge (50.12 miles walked!), we have been inspired to take part in other great charity events, and this one is very close to our hearts. RISE are organising their annual 8k Run for Women in October, which takes place at the Saltdean undercliff. RISE is a Brighton-base charity that helps people affected by domestic abuse, offering them practical help including advice to refuge accommodation for those whose lives are at risk. Our team might not be running it this year (unless we have any last minute takers!) but we will be sending a volunteer to help out with the organisation of it to show our support. See here for more information: RISE 8K Undercliff Run for Women | RISE (riseuk.org.uk).
The Clock Tower Sanctuary is doing a bike ride from London to Brighton to raise money, so see here if you want to get involved: London to Brighton Cycle Ride – Sunday 15th September – Clock Tower Sanctuary (thects.org.uk).
We also wanted to highlight a great organisation that is working towards cleaning up the beaches around us that organise regular clean ups for anyone to get involved with. Please see here if you are interested in helping out: #LEAVENOTRACEBRIGHTON – Respect our place, and leave no trace.
