Law firm pledges £12.5k for FDAC National Unit, urges others to follow suit
A leading family law firm, Hall Brown, has pledged £12,500 in each of the next year three years to the running costs of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) National Unit.
The unit has been under threat of closure this September after the Department for Education said it would no longer provide funding.
The co-founders of Hall Brown Family Law, James Brown and Sam Hall, made the offer after taking part in talks with Nicholas Crichton, the retired district judge who pioneered the FDAC approach, and the Earl of Listowel at the House of Lords in an attempt to safeguard the unit’s future. They called on 19 other law firms to make a similar pledge.
In June the then President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, described the prospective closure as “profoundly disturbing”.
Hall Brown’s Senior Partner Sam Hall said: “We recognise the tremendously delicate nature of the work undertaken by the FDAC over the course of the last decade and the life-changing results which it has already yielded for many families.
“Having listened in person to the concerns of Mr Crichton and Sir James about the potential consequences of such a service not being available, we decided that it was important to act.
“We do not deal with the kind of cases which FDAC handles, cases which are highly specialised in nature. However, we and every one of our legal peers recognises how vital this work is. We are optimistic, therefore, that our proposal will be supported by other firms and the FDAC National Unit can be saved.”
Mr Crichton said he was keen to explore the Hall Brown proposal. “Children belong in families – hopefully, their birth or extended families. What we have been able to do through the FDAC is increase the chances of that happening despite difficult domestic circumstances.
“I and many others believe that the FDAC has made its mark and fully justifies its continuation.”
He added: “Despite analysis showing not only that these courts change lives but save money too by reducing the future sums required to support the kind of families which we see, we find ourselves critically in need of cash.
“I am grateful for Hall Brown’s initiative and hope that it leads to a positive outcome and the saving of a valuable legal and social resource”.
