Police Disclosure and the use of special advocates in family cases - Lucy Theis QC and Joanna Youll
- Article date: 09/03/2010
The process to seek a direction against the police for disclosure of information in possession to the family court can often be protracted and the experience of many practitioners’ is that the police are often reluctant to be forthcoming with information during the investigation.
Lucy Theis QC and Joanna Youll of Field Court Chambers who represented the grandparents in the first reported case where special advocates were used in family proceedings to 'manage' evidence via closed and open hearings where disclosure was resisted by the police, ( Re T (Wardship: Impact of Police Intelligence) [2009] EWHC 2440 (Fam)) discuss why it is hoped that in the light of the judgement in Re T and the guidance given that delays caused by the disclosure issues can be avoided in other cases.
This article was published by Family Law (a publishing imprint of Jordan Publishing Ltd) in the March 2010 issue of the journal Family Law, at
[2010] Fam Law 273."