Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BOOK REVIEW
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ADVOCACY IN FAMILY PROCEEDINGS
By Stuart Barlow
ISBN 978 1 91371 579 3
LAW BRIEF PUBLISHING
lawbriefpublishing.com
SENSIBLE EVERYDAY ADVICE FOR THOSE NEW TO FAMILY PROCEEDINGS
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister” and Mediator
Solicitor, Stuart Barlow, is a family law specialist wishing to give newly qualified solicitors and legal executives “a helping hand in facing their first years in the court room” when dealing with the tricky aspects of advocacy. He hopes that the guide will offer practitioners “details of the important parts of the law and procedure to equip them for advocacy from day one”. We can tell him that he succeeds admirably with his mission!
“Advocacy in the family court has a style of its own”, writes the author. Sadly, however, there is not much training or instruction for the junior lawyer who “has a heart to practise in this area”. Barlow’s guide gives us assistance as newcomers to the family law courts whether as counsel, solicitors or litigants in person.
With the scarcity of legal aid today, Stuart Barlow brings together in one place useful information needed to conduct advocacy in the main areas of family law including divorce, financial applications, private and public children, injunctions and cohabitation claims. He offers sensible assistance and practical advice for the newcomer to what happens in the family courts. We found it useful as a resource for more experienced practitioners also.
There is no index, so we have listed the subjects covered for ease of reference below, depending on what you might be looking for:
• Getting started as a Family Advocate
• Types of Court applications and hearings
• Pre-proceedings
• Preparation for Court hearings
• The Court hearing itself
• Fact Finding hearings
• Experts
• Cafcass and Local Authority Reports
• Court Bundles
• Litigants in Person & McKenzie Friends
• Position Statements & Skeleton Arguments
• Drafting Court Orders
• Appeals
• Enforcement of Court Orders
As a solicitor who has practised Family Law for over 40 years, Barlow conducts most of his own advocacy himself so he comes to this subject with a great deal of experience. He is a member of the Law Society Children Panel, a former Chief Assessor of the Law Society Family Law Accreditation Scheme and adjudicator for the Legal Aid Agency. He also presents valuable training courses for family lawyers throughout England and Wales and is the author of three other published Law books which may be of interest to practitioners and unrepresented parties.
Thank you, Law Brief Publishing, for printing this book which makes our lives much easier in one of the most highly charged and emotional areas of legal practice for practitioners and lay clients.
The date of publication of this new paperback edition is cited as 28th May 2021. The law and procedure are correct as at 1st May 2021.
Do visit the publisher's website for their latest titles.
BOOK REVIEW
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ADVOCACY IN FAMILY PROCEEDINGS
By Stuart Barlow
ISBN 978 1 91371 579 3
LAW BRIEF PUBLISHING
lawbriefpublishing.com
SENSIBLE EVERYDAY ADVICE FOR THOSE NEW TO FAMILY PROCEEDINGS
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister” and Mediator
Solicitor, Stuart Barlow, is a family law specialist wishing to give newly qualified solicitors and legal executives “a helping hand in facing their first years in the court room” when dealing with the tricky aspects of advocacy. He hopes that the guide will offer practitioners “details of the important parts of the law and procedure to equip them for advocacy from day one”. We can tell him that he succeeds admirably with his mission!
“Advocacy in the family court has a style of its own”, writes the author. Sadly, however, there is not much training or instruction for the junior lawyer who “has a heart to practise in this area”. Barlow’s guide gives us assistance as newcomers to the family law courts whether as counsel, solicitors or litigants in person.
With the scarcity of legal aid today, Stuart Barlow brings together in one place useful information needed to conduct advocacy in the main areas of family law including divorce, financial applications, private and public children, injunctions and cohabitation claims. He offers sensible assistance and practical advice for the newcomer to what happens in the family courts. We found it useful as a resource for more experienced practitioners also.
There is no index, so we have listed the subjects covered for ease of reference below, depending on what you might be looking for:
• Getting started as a Family Advocate
• Types of Court applications and hearings
• Pre-proceedings
• Preparation for Court hearings
• The Court hearing itself
• Fact Finding hearings
• Experts
• Cafcass and Local Authority Reports
• Court Bundles
• Litigants in Person & McKenzie Friends
• Position Statements & Skeleton Arguments
• Drafting Court Orders
• Appeals
• Enforcement of Court Orders
As a solicitor who has practised Family Law for over 40 years, Barlow conducts most of his own advocacy himself so he comes to this subject with a great deal of experience. He is a member of the Law Society Children Panel, a former Chief Assessor of the Law Society Family Law Accreditation Scheme and adjudicator for the Legal Aid Agency. He also presents valuable training courses for family lawyers throughout England and Wales and is the author of three other published Law books which may be of interest to practitioners and unrepresented parties.
Thank you, Law Brief Publishing, for printing this book which makes our lives much easier in one of the most highly charged and emotional areas of legal practice for practitioners and lay clients.
The date of publication of this new paperback edition is cited as 28th May 2021. The law and procedure are correct as at 1st May 2021.
Do visit the publisher's website for their latest titles.
