Essential for anyone working in family law, the event – The Changing Face of Family Law – takes place at Blackburne House in Liverpool on Thursday, November 23. Tony McDonough reports

Family dynamics are fast-changing in modern UK society with new issues emerging that have enormous implications for the legal sector.

Topics such as international parental child abduction, forced marriage and honour-based violence and radicalisation of children were barely heard of just a few years ago but are now high on the agenda.

Leading North West law firm MSB Solicitors, renowned for its expertise in these specialist areas, is hosting a major summit in November to address these ongoing changes.

Essential for anyone working in family law, the event – The Changing Face of Family Law – takes place at Blackburne House in Liverpool on Thursday, November 23.

Adapt to change

Organised in association with London legal chambers, 4 Paper Buildings, the summit aims to explore how lawyers and lawmakers need to adapt to changing family and societal dynamics to better serve our modern society.

It will bring together law firms, legislators and leading authorities to raise awareness of and begin to build a framework to tackle these emerging issues.

The line-up of expert speakers already includes:

• Emma Carey, MSB Solicitors – Welcome and overview of changing family law dynamics
• Brian Jubb, 4 Paper Buildings – international and parental child abduction as a growing issue
• Emma Palmer, MSB Solicitors – forced marriage and honour-based violence – signposting a way out for sufferers
• Chris Barnes, 4 Paper Buildings – radicalisation of children in the context of public law proceedings.
• Andrew Powell, 4 Paper Buildings – issues around surrogacy

New agenda

Running from 12.30pm to 5.30pm, the conference will examine the challenges that advancing society presents and explore opportunities to set the agenda for change.

Emma Carey, head of family law at MSB and soon to be managing partner, said: “The law cannot stand still. As a profession we have a responsibility to keep ourselves right up to date on how shifts in societal dynamics impacts on our clients.

“With a thoughtfully-developed programme of esteemed speakers, we hope to develop a blueprint to best serve the complex and fast-changing needs of clients in the future and send the message that support is available and accessible.”

Industry leaders

The last 18 months have marked some outstanding achievements for MSB’s family team, who were appointed to the International Child Abduction and Contact Panel by the Official Solicitors Office last year.

They are currently the only North West firm to have made the panel.

4 Paper Buildings is the UK’s largest chambers of family law barristers and is regularly involved in landmark developments in family law and family justice.