Family barrister and judge reveals trials and tribulations of remote court hearings

08 Dec 2022

Published in: Member News

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Thursfields unveils latest family podcast

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Charmian Jackson, a barrister and deputy district judge in the Midlands, has shared some interesting experiences of the family law system in a podcast created by Thursfields Solicitors.

Ms Jackson, a barrister at St Ives Chambers in Birmingham who also serves as a deputy district judge on the Midlands circuit, was describing a day in the life of a family barrister and judge, including some of the challenges posed by remote court hearings.

Talking on Thursfields’ “Family Law Uncovered” podcast, hosted by family lawyers Jill Roberts and Hannah Nicholls, Ms Jackson said: “I had one client in a discussion in advance of a hearing who did pretty much the entire conference from his bed, covered with a duvet but clearly with no top on.

“There were good reasons why it wasn’t appropriate to ask him to rectify that at that point, but having to have a conversation at the end of the conference to stress the importance of being out of bed and dressed for a court hearing is a sentence I never thought I would have to utter!”

Ms Jackson, who specialises in financial remedy and private children matters, added: “There is no typical day, which is one of the reasons why I love the job, and I like the fact that you meet lots of different people.”

Ms Jackson’s revelations were covered in the second episode of the Family Law Uncovered series, which is hosted by various lawyers in Thursfield’s Family Law department.

The podcast covers everything from separation to divorce, including subjects such as mediation, family finance and how to do what’s best for any children involved.

Shane Miller, who heads the Family Law department at Thursfields, said: “We are excited to have the opportunity to reveal the real challenges of family law in our podcast.

“Family Law Uncovered also gives us a real opportunity to reach out to a wider audience to share our experience in family law and hopefully to help more people who need our legal expertise.

“The podcast is free for anyone to listen to, helping listeners to understand the relevant options available so that they can make a more informed decision on what they want to do when they are considering separation or divorce.”

The next episode of Family Law Uncovered in January will focus on the new no-fault divorce law, and the importance of getting financial orders following a divorce.

The podcast can be found on Thursfields’ website here https://thursfields.co.uk/family-law-uncovered and also appears across all mainstream audio streaming channels such as Spotify, Apple and others.