Jones Myers Family Lawyer, Laura Sargeant, has played a key role in an informative family law conference covering vital issues to change current laws - and ensure victims and survivors of domestic abuse receive help when they most need it.

Baroness Hale, the Supreme Court’s esteemed first female President who has been pivotal in ensuring children’s voices are heard and their rights protected, was among key speakers at the York and North Yorkshire Family Justice Board Conference.

Attendees also heard Claire Throssell MBE movingly share how her sons, aged 12 and 9, were murdered by their father in 2014, after a court gave him five hours of unsupervised weekly contact. Since joining forces with Women’s Aid in 2016, Claire has campaigned tirelessly for change.

Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, then highlighted her office’s role in striving to making family courts a safer place for victims of domestic abuse.

Presenters also spanned local judges and representatives from Inspire North and ‘For Baby’s Sake,’ a charity helping families to break the cycles of domestic abuse. Members of the Family Justice Young People’s Board joined the conference remotely to share how their guide aims to keep children and young people at the centre of court proceedings.

Attendees included 120 local solicitors, members of the local judiciary barristers, social workers, and representatives from local volunteer organisations including IDAS, Inspire North and Citizens Advice. The event was compered by Victoria Kilpatrick, a specialist in public and private law proceedings, from the main sponsor, Dere Street Barristers.

Along with fellow committee members, Laura, who is Chair of the Training Sub-Committee for the North and North Yorkshire Family Justice Board and representative for the local public law solicitors, volunteered eight months of her time outside work to plan the annual forum.

Our inspirational speakers were instrumental in re-enforcing the need for pivotal changes to the family justice system.

Thank you to them, our attendees and to everyone, including Dere Street Barristers and mini sponsors National Legal Service, Jones Myers and Ramsdens, who helped to make the thought-provoking conference a great success.