Book reviews

Family Law Reform

Greens Essential Legislation
Joe Thomson
PUBLISHER: W GREEN
ISBN: 0 414 01659 9
PRICE: £38.50

This book contains an annotated version of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006, and then the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981, the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 and the Scottish sections of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, all as amended but not annotated.

The annotations to the 2006 Act are detailed, make frequent reference to case law and give practical examples of how a section might work in practice.

This book, or something similar, is an essential tool for all family law practitioners as it gives you an updated version of all the crucial statutes in the one place. It is just the text to take with you to any child welfare hearing, or pre-service hearing or interim hearing where the question of residence, contact, interdict or power of arrest is to be considered.

The Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006

Text and commentary

Kenneth McK Norrie
PUBLISHER: DUNDEE UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN: 1 84586 007 1
PRICE: £15

This is essentially similar to the first section of Professor Thomson’s book. It splits the Act into sections, such as “1. Marriage and Civil Partnership (sections 1-4 and 42). 2. Occupancy Rights, Interdicts and Powers of Arrest (sections 5-10 and 32).” In this way it does not follow the exact order of the Act, but means that all relevant sections are grouped by subject matter.

The annotations are exceptionally helpful and generally more detailed than the publication above. Similarly, they contain reference to case law and to examples. They are particularly helpful in the area of cohabitation, where practitioners are being asked to become conversant with a whole new legal landscape. If asked to choose between this and the publication above my own preference is for the Professor Thomson book, purely due to the format and layout. 

Family Law Essentials

Kenneth McK Norrie
PUBLISHER: DUNDEE UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN: 1 84586 011 X
PRICE: £13.50

This is a highly compact text, nonetheless giving a basic tour of the major family law topics, such as court orders relating to the upbringing of children, divorce, and financial provision on divorce. It appears to be targeted towards students but could still prove useful to any practitioner looking to refresh their knowledge of a particular area by revising basic principles.

Each section of the book contains a highlighted area detailing “Essential facts” and “Essential cases”. The former provides bullet points of the “must know” facts and the latter lists a summary of each of the important cases in a straightforward way. It provides a good starting point when researching applicable case law in these areas. 

Cumulatively, these three texts are excellent value and essential on the bookshelf of any practice with involvement in family law. The last one is particularly useful for trainee solicitors who need to get a grasp of concepts such as “parental rights”, who has them and so on, from a practical perspective. Each of the books is well indexed, neat in size and ideal for throwing into a file or bag on the way to court.

Suggestions for future books:

Please send to: Alistair Bonnington, The Law School, The Stair Building, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ 
e: alistair.bonnington@bbc.co.uk