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St John’s Chambers Family & Divorce team have created a compelling channel for family law lawyers which will provide news, insights, and some personality to complex legal cases. Our podcasts will convey thought leadership throughout our episodes as well as simplify and discuss implications of key cases in family law. We will also aim to save solicitors some time in summarising and explaining developments.
Episodes

34 minutes ago
34 minutes ago
Welcome to the first episode in our new Case Law Update series. In this episode, Chelsea and Vivien, of our Family and Divorce team, discuss two recent Financial Remedy cases which consider an extreme example of litigation misconduct, and the difficulties encountered when one party in proceedings lacks capacity to litigate.
The full citations for the cases discussed are:
TA v SB [2025] EWFC 61 (B)
Mary-Jane Grace and Ian Douglas Grace [2025] EWFC 37 (B)

Friday May 16, 2025
Covert Recordings in Family Proceedings: Part 1
Friday May 16, 2025
Friday May 16, 2025
Part 1 was recorded prior to the publication of the FJC Guidance. Part 2, which will consider the new guidance, is coming soon!
In this episode, Vivien Croly is joined by Katie Hanson, Senior Associate Solicitor at VWV to discuss covert recordings in family law proceedings. They consider the issues faced by practitioners when dealing with different types of covert recordings as well as looking at case law where covert recordings have, and have not been relied upon.

Monday Dec 23, 2024
The new Alienating Behaviours Guidance
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Zoë Saunders and Lucy Reed KC discuss the recently published guidance from the Family Justice Council: Responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour (https://www.judiciary.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/advisory-bodies/family-justice-council/resources-and-guidance/parental-alienation/). Zoë and Lucy summarise and explain the approach mandated by the guidance, and consider what practical difference it may make, for parents accused of alienating behaviours for those who wish to raise it as an issue, and for those representing the parties or the children in such cases. Discussion points include the co-occurrence of allegations of domestic abuse with allegations of alienating behaviour, the voice of the child and the role of experts.

Monday Dec 09, 2024
Instructing Counsel
Monday Dec 09, 2024
Monday Dec 09, 2024
In this episode, Georgina Swinglehurst and Glen Pritchard discuss all things to do with instructing counsel – ideally when should solicitors get counsel involved? Who should they instruct on each case? What makes a great brief? Having both previously worked in solicitors’ firms, they also share their top tips on how to build the best relationships between counsel and instructing solicitors.

Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Matrimonialisation: A sea change or a storm in a tea cup?
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Bethany Scarsbrook and Georgina Swinglehurst of St John's Chambers Family & Divorce team grapple with the topical issue of when an asset is deemed to have become matrimonialised. They consider the case law leading up to Standish v Standish [2024] EWCA Civ 567, before analysing whether the Court of Appeal decision fell into error, and considering the extent of the potential ramifications, particularly in light of the pending appeal to the UKSC.

Friday Oct 18, 2024
Friday Oct 18, 2024
In this episode Sophie Smith-Holland and Chelsea Bartlett will discuss the implications of the case N v J [2024] EWFC 184, in respect of if and how to run domestic abuse allegations as ‘conduct’ in financial remedy proceedings.

Thursday Sep 26, 2024
From parental alienation to alienating behaviours
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
In this episode, Sarah Phillimore and Asha Groves take a look at the recent shift away from the label of parental alienation and towards a definition of alienating behaviours in case law and guidance. They consider how to approach these cases in practice both now and in the future with particular consideration of the use of unregulated experts in this area.

Friday Jun 14, 2024
Costs in Financial Remedy Proceedings
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Friday Jun 14, 2024
In this podcast, Jack Harris and Vivien Croly of our Family & Divorce team discuss the topic of costs in financial remedy proceedings, including a refresher on the different costs regimes and their application, top tips when preparing for, or engaging with, an application for costs, and an overview of some specific costs-related caselaw.
Cases discussed here