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I agree with Anon 14:31 that "Firms working primarily on legal aid family work are barely keeping their heads above water."

..... but I also agree with Anon 14:20 that "barristers and solicitors can continue milking the 'cash cow'" - where private clients are footing the bill because they cannot get legal aid.

..... because the family law system is broken.

I spent over £25,000 supporting my son (H) and his wife (W) who were seeking to adopt an 18-month old boy (N) who had been in their care since birth, at the request of the biological mother (who was part of their extended family.) This would have allowed him to be in regular contact with his mother (who would be known to him as an Aunt until he was old enough to understand what had happened) and she would see him grow up and be part of his extended family.

The father decided to apply for custody. The local social services had nothing but praise for the care that N had received from H&W, but then said that it was the father's right to have custody even though this would mean that N had no prospect of future contact with his mother.

The case took so long to come to court that we ended up with an enormous bill, and the court gave N to his father!

We couldn't afford to appeal, and even if we could have afforded to do so, it would have taken so long to run the appeal that N's bonds with H&W would have been broken and moving him back from his father to H&W would have been even more damaging to him.

The whole system needs to be simplified, fast-tracked and less costly, with proper legal aid fees being paid to solicitors and barristers who could focus on the real issues of the case and not the unduly complex and long-winded legal process.