The Seanad has approved the Family Courts Bill 2022, which will establish a dedicated Family Court within Ireland’s existing court structure. This legislation aims to streamline family-law proceedings and enhance support for families and children involved in the legal process.
Once enacted, the bill will assign specially trained judges to Family Court divisions across the High Court, Circuit Court, and District Court.
Key reforms include:
- Creation of new roles: principal judges for each Family Court division to ensure effective management.
- Professional training: Ongoing family-law training for judges.
- Streamlined applications: Allowing joint applications for judicial separation, divorce, and civil partnership dissolution, while promoting mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
- New rules committees: A Family Law Rules Committee to ensure consistent application of family-law rules.
Recent amendments include safety considerations in mediation processes and prohibitions on personal cross-examination if a party is self-representing, this is similar to the protections under the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
The biggest area of concern for people separating was the prospect of being forced into the District Court and suffering years of delay in all already chronically overcrowded system.
For further information on this topic or for any other family law related advice please do not hesitate to contact Brendan Dillon or Emma Dillon on 01 296 0666.
