12 November 2021

Matthew Brunsdon-Tully writes for The Times on the risks of increasing transparency in the family courts

Family Partner, Matthew Brunsdon-Tully's article entitled 'Family courts risk sacrificing privacy for transparency' was published in The Times.

Matthew shares his views on the recently published McFarlane transparency review, reflecting on the importance of balancing transparency with privacy within the system, as well as the potential unintended consequences of reform.

"Participants in the system are private citizens with private lives. The state exists to protect people, not make an example of them. It is about healing as well as justice, about making the lives of children better, ensuring vulnerable people are protected and that people get their fair share when they divorce.

The system should be transparent, but individuals should in most cases be entitled to anonymity."

Matthew also discusses the potential for families, that are able, to turn to private arbitration as a result.

The full article can be read here, behind a paywall.

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