New line-up for family law group

 

A NEW leader has been chosen for the specialist group of Faculty members who practise in family law.

Kate Dowdalls, QC, has been named as Chair of the Advocates’ Family Law Association (AFLA), and she is joined by a fresh line-up of office-bearers and committee members.

Ruth Innes becomes Vice-Chair, while Rachel Shewan will serve as Secretary, and Kirsty Malcolm as Treasurer. Others on the committee are Nicola Gilchrist, Julianna Cartwright, Ceit-Anna MacLeod and Scott McAlpine.

“I am pleased to take over from Janys Scott, QC, as Chair of AFLA,” said Ms Dowdalls.

“It is a very busy time for family law. The Scottish Government has recently launched a consultation on areas of reform, focusing on the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, and the Scottish Law Commission has included aspects of family law in its tenth programme of reform and will be considering the law relating to surrogacy in a joint project with the Law Commission of England and Wales.

“I look forward to working with the new Committee and wider AFLA membership to promote family law advocacy, and to engaging with our colleagues outwith Faculty in the development of family law in Scotland.”

AFLA members were very much to the fore at the recent UK and Ireland Advocates and Judges Family Law Conference in London. The conference had three main themes - Money Topics, Children Topics and the Future of Family Law Post-Brexit – and speakers from Scotland were involved in each.

A report of the conference is here