Understanding the New Maintenance Enforcement Process under the new Family Justice Rules

To simplify legal procedure and increase access to justice, the Family Justice Rules (FJR) have undergone a major overhaul, with the new rules recently coming into force on 15 October 2024 (and with the revamped e-Litigation filing system having since caused some upheaval to the lives of family lawyers, if we’re being honest).

From what used to be a giant set of rules before, the FJR is now neatly divided into 4 smaller, self-explanatory volumes, comprising:
• Family Justice (General) Rules 2024
• Family Justice (Probate and Other Matters) Rules 2024
• Family Justice (Protection from Harassment) Rules 2024
• Family Justice (Criminal Proceedings in Youth Courts) Rules 2024

One of the most anticipated of the myriad changes to the FJR is the introduction of the new Maintenance Enforcement Process (“MEP”) through which the court’s powers have been broadened to better assist spouses or parents to enforce unpaid maintenance orders for themselves and/or their children.

The MEP will be implemented in phases, beginning with the first phase that was rolled out just last week on 16 January 2025.

Our Associate Director Hannah Cheang provides an overview of the revised procedure and powers of the Court under the new MEP.