By John Hyde2021-04-14T06:50:00+01:00
Fromer Family Division president Sir James Munby has used a foray back onto the bench to launch a stinging criticism of the costs accrued and directions ignored in lengthy family court disputes.
In a ruling on whether the English court had jurisdiction to hear a Children Act application from a French mother, Munby said it was necessary to add a final comment on the sums involved in what he called ‘preliminary skirmishing’.
The former president, who retired from the post in 2018 but continues to sit on certain cases, explained that the costs incurred to date in this country by the mother and father were almost £900,000 combined for this single hearing. This included counsel costs of more than £630,000.