A legal report that was commissioned in 2022 and is being implemented today is functioning to recommend that barristers consider the words and phrases they use during court proceedings.
It had been previously been suggested that many people feel excluded from the proceedings in family law courts because they do not understand the language used.
It was recognised when the original report was being written that, often, conflict and unresolved cases were a direct consequence of the language used in court. Words that could potentially encourage upset and rage are slowly being replaced by more positive vocabulary.
Some of the recommendations in the report include the use of plain English. This suggestion strongly urges professionals such as family law solicitors in North Wales to avoid the use of jargon, especially when the family in question does not speak English as their first language. Another point raised was that families often feel like a case rather than as individuals. Legal professionals have been recently using the names of the children rather than referring to them as ‘the child or children’. This personalisation is designed to increase families’ engagement in the system.
Cases relating to divorce should also proceed using the same language recommendations to avoid hostility. In all cases of family law, the report also urges solicitors to concentrate on a positive outcome and future for all involved with the use of language.
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