Familoo (Lucy Reed)

Family Legal Aid Fees – Is patience really a virtue?

Our Chair Leslie Samuels KC’s article on Family Legal Aid fees has been published in the February 2026 Family Law (journal) [2026] Fam Law 153.

For those who have a subscription the link to the article is here: lnkd.in/ezpSwxu4

QLRs – what do the published judgments tell us? Since judgments arising from the Family Court are not routinely published, what we see in them isn’t necessarily representative of patterns within the Family Court as a whole. But they are on…

QLRs - what do the published judgments tell us? pinktape.co.uk/uncategorize...

I’ve reached the life stage where as soon as I clock a survey is so poorly designed as to render my responses useless* I immediately bin it off. Grrr! Time wasters! My democratic bones tell me I have a say & am obligated to use it, so I start each survey with hope. I am a fool.
*100% of all surveys

www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and...

Oh, marvellous!

Yeah, my seams tend to wander!!! Must practice with machine!

Oh that’s my hotel lobby!

I have a sewing machine. I am terrible with it and wouldn’t know how to do patchwork on it! Needle threader probably a good idea. I am going cross eyed!!

I have ALSO been quite focused and done some work this weekend. And then watched Speed with the kids as I sewed. I think a breather did me some good….productivity levels sometimes restored somewhat.

Me and my shawl

Me and my shawl - full length pic

Patchwork in progress. Hexagons of many colours…

Finished my thing last week…which, it turns out, was a shawl…(and handbag and earrings)
A bit bereft at the end of my project, so am trying to remember how to make patchwork using all the upholstery samples I hoarded when choosing a sofa. Makes my fingers hurt and I hate threading tiny needles!

I’d go with months though - unlikely to be weeks or years at a guess. Every part of the court system is creaking and applications have to be prioritised for urgency.

Not sure I’m afraid.

Mazur hearing fascinating. Quite hard to follow w/o access to skeletons, but broadly kept up. Can’t shake the feeling that the law as enacted might not be *quite* the same as the law as we might want it to be…a lot of emphasis on the disaster that will ensue if its not. Ct now adjnd to 10.30 Weds.

Analysis of the implications of Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour) by @familoo.pinktape.co.uk

No - there is a statutory right of appeal so that is the route I will have to take. Tribunal probably won’t list it for a year.

Yep. Its just pushing the cost elsewhere - to tribunals, to camhs etc... Pretty sure there is no net gain to the public purse.

I feel better for saying that. As you were…

Quel surprise. They refused an EHCP. Of course they did. Because my boy will time out by the time we get through ANOTHER appeal (or by the time they run the clock down & concede it at the 11th hour as per the last 2). Such a waste of time and energy - ours, theirs, the tribunal… 😡😤
Off we go again…

Mother vindicated after top judge overturns evidence of parental… Findings based on the evidence of Melanie Gill are thrown out by high court – and could open the door for more of the families affected

This judgment should make interesting reading when it arrives. A turning point, perhaps…and what a tragedy for this child that it took six years to set right… www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...

No - fortunately I was on the stopper and it doesn’t usually run much past mine, but still…

Yes all good thanks!

(From one really bad bellringer to another)

Thank y-zzzzzzzzzz

a kitten is sitting next to a cup of coffee on a table . Alt: a kitten is sitting next to a cup of coffee on a table. It has crazy hair.

This week has been non stop … absolutely shattered and still not home…doom scrolling and posting this to try and make sure i don’t fall asleep and miss my stop!

I have stupidly arranged for the decorators to come in while I am working away from home on pro bono matters, which has the disadvantage of being reminded I am not only earning nothing but am spending money on decorators AND hotels as I do so…it had better look lovely when I get back home!

Yeah, realised that when I clicked through - but rather alarming presentation!!

Read this as a pledge to take 10,000 more children into (foster) care! (as opposed to increasing number of foster settings available for children already in care)

I wouldn’t describe my father’s prolonged death as a positive experience, notwithstanding the fact that his care was (mostly) good during his final admission.

They made what they said was a best interests decision without referring to us.

our impression was that the difference was a lack of familiarity with capacity issues on the more general ward, whereas on a frailty ward there was a different focus & better involvement of family (even of family members who weren’t attorneys). We were properly consulted and supported in the latter.