18 Jun 2011

Family law experts warn against less representation

1:15 pm on 18 June 2011

A family lawyer and a law professor are cautioning the Government not to reduce representation for children in the Family Court.

A review into rapidly increasing costs at the court is under way, and Justice Minister Simon Power has asked it to look particularly at the role of child lawyers and psychological reports.

Family lawyer Margaret Powell and law professor Mark Henaghan say both child lawyers and psychological reports actually help reduce costs.

They say both help parents realise how the dispute is affecting the child and often prevent cases from going to a hearing.

They also say reducing child representation in the court would be short-sighted and cause more problems than it would solve.