Unveiling justice: Showcasing our work at public open days In our latest podcast we discuss how members of the public can join open days at their local court or tribunal, to find out how justice is delivered in their community. Listeners are taken behind the scenes to hear how our staff help to make open days as engaging as possible, and hear from some of the visitors we welcomed into our courts last year. | | Inside the Criminal Courts We've released the second video in our 'Inside the Criminal Courts' series and we hear from Jennifer, a magistrates' court usher. Ushers are often one of the first faces people will see when they come to court and their role includes supporting court users, ensuring the courtroom is in good order and helping hearings to run smoothly. Crime Lower legal aid consultation opens The Ministry of Justice has launched aconsultation setting out proposals for reform of the criminal legal aid fee schemes which fall under Crime Lower. Crime Lower mostly covers work carried out by legal aid providers at police stations and in magistrates courts in relation to people accused of, or charged with, criminal offences. The main proposals in this consultation cover the police station fee scheme and Youth Court fees and it remains open until 28 March 2024. | | Probate service enquiry line revised opening hours From Wednesday 14 February, the probate enquiry phoneline will run from 9am to 1pm from Monday to Friday, for a period of 12 weeks. You can still contact the probate service via webchat from 9am to 5pm on all weekdays. Applications will continue to be granted as usual and should continue to be submitted via MyHMCTS. You can check the progress and status of your applications by logging into MyHMCTS and checking your case list page. Childrens wellbeing at the heart of family court reforms Families who are separating will benefit from early legal advice, greater use of mediation, and the continued rollout of an innovative pilot which better supports domestic abuse victims and children. This is following the governments response to the Private Family Law Early Resolution Consultation. Children will be better protected from the impact of lengthy courtroom battles thanks to pioneering measures to help families resolve disputes as swiftly as easily possible. | | What did you think this email? | | |