PRESS RELEASE : Legal adviser member appointed to the Family Procedure Rule Committee [September 2024]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 30 September 2024.

The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Helen Sewell as a legal adviser member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee (FPRC) from 30 September 2024 until 29 September 2027.

FPRC was set up, in October 2004, to make Family Procedure Rules. Its aim is to make clear, easily understandable rules to create an accessible, fair and efficient family justice system. FPRC makes rules of court that govern the practice and procedure followed in family proceedings in the High Court and family court.

Appointments, to FPRC, are made by the Lord Chancellor after consulting the President of the Family Division, under section 77(2) of the Courts Act 2003. The appointment of non-judicial members is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biography

Helen Sewell was admitted Solicitor in 1991. Since 2020, she has worked as a Legal Team Manager for HMCTS. Previously, from 2002-2020, she worked for HMCTS as a Justices’ Legal Advisor for Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court, Swindon.