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Care proceedings bundles: a duty to pay?
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Payment of expenses in civil litigation services (legal aid) cases
The issue of who should pay for translation of documents in care proceedings has arisen again. Last February it was before Sir James Munby P in
Re L (Procedure: Bundles: Translation) [2015] 1 FLR 1417. The issue arose again in
Suffolk County Council v The Mother and ors [2015] EWFC B112. It is a Family Court case dealt with by Her Honour Judge Lynne Roberts; so first a citation health warning is necessary (
Practice Direction of 9 April 2001 (Citation of Authorities) [2001] 1 WLR 1001 [2001] Fam Law 794). The case may not be cited because the case was in a county court (equivalent) PD para 6.2 unless it 'clearly indicates that it purports to establish a new principle or to extend the present law' (para 6.1). It does not give such indication in express terms. For now I shall leave the reader to decide whether this was what the judge intended.
The issue in the case - translation of court bundles for one or more parents in care proceedings - involves a principle which...
Read the full article here.