Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter ======================================================= ![Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter](https://vardags.com/images/pictures/_360/ba2a66595cbe1e19c8ee0211ad6c508e.jpeg)Mr Justice Peter Jackson has given his decision to a High Court case heard this month in the form of a letter addressed directly to the teenage boy whose future the case concerned. The dispute concerned whether the boy should remain with his mother and stepfather in the UK or relocate to Scandinavia with his father and apply for citizenship there. Jackson eschewed legal jargon to write the judgment in plain English, explaining to the fourteen year old why he was deciding the case in the way that he was: > "This case is about you and your future, so I am writing this letter as a way of giving my decision to you and to your parents." The celebrated judge, who was last week [appointed](https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/announcements/appointment-of-lord-and-lady-justices-of-appeal/) as a Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal, hit the headlines last year when he used what is believed to be the [first emoji](https://vardags.com/family-law/judge-uses-emoji-family-judgment/) in a legal judgment. After ruling to limit contact between children and their suspected extremist father, Jackson condensed his decision into 17 pages using simple phrases in the hopes that the family and particularly the children whose fate the judgment decided might understand. The result was hailed as an exemplary instance of a plain English judgment. Far shorter and more accessible than a conventional judgment, Jackson's *Re A : Letter to a Young Person* should be similarly celebrated for its wisdom, compassion and commitment to access to justice. You can read the judgment in full [here](http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/HCJ/2017/48.html). "Ayesha Vardag - Britain's top divorce lawyer." ![The Huffington Post](https://vardags.com/images/logo/huffpost.png) "Ayesha Vardag - Woman of the Year"![GG2](https://vardags.com/images/logo/gg2-3.png) "Leading, Magic Circle law firm."Mr Justice Coleridge "A handful of firms dominate the so-called 'glamour' end of the market ... Vardags"The Times "One of the best divorce lawyers in the country"Marie Claire "Ayesha Vardag - 'diva of divorce' for the world's super rich" ![BBC](https://vardags.com/images/logo/bbc.png) "Dr Stephen Bence is a financial genius."Lewis Marks KC "Ayesha Vardag - the Queen of divorce"Daily Mail "Vardags brilliantly argued my case to a resounding victory"Pauline Chai (client) "Britain's top divorce lawyer" ![The Telegraph](https://vardags.com/images/logo/telegraph.png) More Family Law news -------------------- [Cohabitation: where are we now?](https://vardags.com/family-law/cohabitation-where-are-we-now "Cohabitation: where are we now?") [Domestic abuse allegations in 62 per cent of child contact applications, research finds](https://vardags.com/family-law/domestic-abuse-allegations-in-62-per-cent-of-child-contact-applications "Domestic abuse allegations in 62 per cent of child contact applications, research finds") [Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter](https://vardags.com/family-law/justice-jackson-letter-judgment "Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter") [Recognising foreign adoptions: W v The Secretary of State for the Home Department](https://vardags.com/family-law/recognising-foreign-adoption-w-v-sshd "Recognising foreign adoptions: W v The Secretary of State for the Home Department") [Has marriage lost its health benefits in the modern world?](https://vardags.com/family-law/has-marriage-lost-health-benefits-modern-world "Has marriage lost its health benefits in the modern world?") Articles by Thea Dunne ---------------------- [New online divorce form could lead to surge in adultery allegations](https://vardags.com/family-law/online-divorce-form-adultery-surge "New online divorce form could lead to surge in adultery allegations") [Oregon parents fight to regain custody of children taken from them because of their low IQ](https://vardags.com/family-law/parents-custody-low-iq "Oregon parents fight to regain custody of children taken from them because of their low IQ") [Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter](https://vardags.com/family-law/justice-jackson-letter-judgment "Top family judge gives legal judgment in form of letter") [Law Commission recommends overhaul of outdated wills system](https://vardags.com/family-law/law-commission-propose-overhaul-law-on-wills "Law Commission recommends overhaul of outdated wills system") [Re CB [2017]: domestic abuse case adjourned to offer father "one final, time-limited opportunity" to co-parent](https://vardags.com/family-law/domestic-abuse-relocation-case-adjourned-re-cb-2017 "Re CB 2017: domestic abuse case adjourned to offer father 'one final, time-limited opportunity' to co-parent")