An Analysis of the Family Courts Act, 2024 by Hugh Condron
AN ANALYSIS OF THE FAMILY COURTS ACT, 2024 by Hugh Condron Dip. Fam Law, Dip. LSP Introduction Ireland currently does not have a dedicated or specialised Family Court system, this position contrasts with many other European and Common Law jurisdictions. The new Family Courts Act, 2024 seeks to change that. [1] In 2019, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon said that ‘ Cases concerning children are mainly heard in the general courts in the same buildings as other cases, by judges who do not specialise in family or child law ’. [2] This Act aims to create three new specialised family courts in Ireland namely a Family High Court, Family Circuit Court and Family District Court. These won't be completely new courts - instead, they will be special divisions within the existing court system. In 2022, the then Minister of Justice, Helen McEntee said ‘ The Family Court Bill will form an intrinsic part of the reform of the family justice system and will provide many of the building blocks essential...