The Ulster University Law Clinic, in conjunction with the Legal Innovation Centre, formally launched the FamilyCourtInfo website and Pathfinder Tool on 13 April 2022.
These two public information supports are the results of a human-centred design process, where Ulster University researchers worked with people who use, work in or support others within the court system. The supports are designed to help litigants navigate their way through family court processes in Northern Ireland.
The launch provided an opportunity to showcase the scope and nature of the supports and to pay tribute to those members of the Design Group who were integral to the development, prototyping and testing of both the website and the pathfinder.
The creation of these supports was part of a research project – Understanding and Supporting Legal Participation for Litigants in Person – funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The project is led by Professor Gráinne McKeever, working with Dr John McCord, Dr Lucy Royal-Dawson, Dr Priyam Yarnell and Mark Potkewitz.
The event was attended by the Lady Chief Justice, members of the Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, members of the legal profession and voluntary and statutory support sector, and by members of the public who have been involved in family court proceedings.
For more details contact g.mckeever@ulster.ac.uk