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Judges and lawyers are at risk of mental ‘collapse’, the new Head of the Family Division warned, stating that ‘wellbeing’ is top of his agenda.
Sir Andrew McFarlane told the annual conference of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group in October that high workloads, long hours and a lack of resources were putting judges and lawyers under immense pressure.
He said the Chair of the Bar reported that judges were emailing barristers late at night and at four o’clock in the morning.
Warning that the justice system faced a ‘serious moment’, Sir Andrew said: ‘People are saying the system will fall over... In fact the system won’t fall over; the system won’t collapse. The system will grind on. What might happen and does happen is that individuals in the system – people will fall over, will collapse.’
Judges and lawyers are at risk of mental ‘collapse’, the new Head of the Family Division warned, stating that ‘wellbeing’ is top of his agenda.
Sir Andrew McFarlane told the annual conference of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group in October that high workloads, long hours and a lack of resources were putting judges and lawyers under immense pressure.
He said the Chair of the Bar reported that judges were emailing barristers late at night and at four o’clock in the morning.
Warning that the justice system faced a ‘serious moment’, Sir Andrew said: ‘People are saying the system will fall over... In fact the system won’t fall over; the system won’t collapse. The system will grind on. What might happen and does happen is that individuals in the system – people will fall over, will collapse.’
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Born from a grievance, their research project grew into a book and is now challenging the status quo. Emma Price and Emma-Louise Fenelon reveal the key findings – and the critical next steps
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
