Supreme Court President Lady Hale launches Board of Deputies Family Life and Customs booklet

President of the Supreme Court Lady Hale last night spoke at the launch of the Board of Deputies’ booklet, Jewish Family Life and Customs: a Practical Guide.

Speaking at the Supreme Court Lady Hale said that the Board of Deputies “should be congratulated” for producing a document which is “for all those legal professionals seeking to understand the Jewish community”.

In her speech, Lady Hale also praised her counterparts at the Israeli Supreme Court which, she said “deserves our support whenever we can give it to them”.

The booklet Jewish Family Life and Customs: A Practical Guide  -drafted by the Board of Deputies’ Family Law Group – is intended for lawyers and judges who are working with Jewish clients who need a trusted resource that provides baseline understanding of Jewish practices. It is a new edition of a booklet that was previously published in 2006. In that time much has changed in the wider legal context – from marriage laws to coroners’ practices.

The launch was attended by more than 100 people, including senior legal professionals, parliamentarians and communal figures. Also speaking were Eleanor Platt QC, chairman of the Board of Deputies’ Family Law Group and a co-editor of the guide; President Jonathan Arkush and Vice President Marie van der Zyl.

The guide  is available on request in hard copy.

Photo: (left to right) Marie van der Zyl, Eleanor Platt, Lady Hale, Jonathan Arkush

Photographer: Gary Perlmutter