Lord chief justice announces plans to step down
Longest reigning chief justice since 1992 confirms intention to step down next year The lord chief justice of England and Wales has announced plans to step down from his post next year. It was announced this morning that The Rt Hon. The Lord Burnett of Maldon will leave his position as lord chief justice on 30 […]
Bar Council report condemns “catastrophic” legal aid cuts
A Bar Council report on Access to Justice in England and Wales in 2022 has condemned the “catastrophic” impact across the board of recent cuts to legal aid. Poor access to legal aid creates a “snowball effect”, as explained by the Council: “As fee rates become unsustainable for the legal services market and fewer people […]
Study suggests vulnerable women inadequately supported following care proceedings
New data published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has suggested vulnerable women continue to be inadequately supported following care proceedings, resulting in a striking one in four returning to court following proceedings. Concerningly, this figure remains approximately equal to that seen during previous benchmark studies in 2015, 2017, and 2020, with almost no progress made […]
Children coming into care increasingly subject of “last-minute dash” to find homes – report
Children coming into care are increasingly subject of a “last-minute dash” to find a home as local authorities grapple with rising demand for places and a lack of suitable accommodation, according to Ofsted. In its new report, Ofsted said local authorities are struggling to plan for and meet their legal duty to offer sufficient accommodation […]
Family lawyer tells BBC R4: Cohabitation law “completely unfit for purpose”
Discussing cohabitation law reform on BBC Radio 4, a leading family lawyer has described the current laws surrounding cohabitation as “completely unfit for purpose”. Graeme Fraser, Partner in the family law team at BBS Law, appeared on Joshua Rozenberg’s Law in Action programme in light of the government’s recent rejection of much of the Women […]
Police failures “materially contributed” to domestic abuser’s double murder – inquest
An inquest into the double murder of a Solihull domestic abuse victim and her mother has found that multiple failings by West Midlands Police “materially contributed” to their deaths. Raneem Oudeh and her mother, Khaola Saleem, were murdered by the estranged husband of Ms Oudeh, Janbaz Tarin, in August 2018, after his wife discovered his […]
Domestic abuse victims will be negatively impacted by cost of living crisis, charities warn
Charities report higher number of cases with fewer resources to help victims Domestic abuse charities across the UK are voicing their concerns regarding the ongoing cost of living crisis and how this is adversely affecting victims and their ability to help them. The BBC has highlighted reports from domestic abuse charities, who have stated they […]
Cohabitation – The myth of the common law spouse
The government’s decision to reject almost all proposals for cohabitation law reform put forward in the Women and Equalities Committee’s recent report may be the result of an administration with bigger fish to fry but is disappointing nonetheless. In this latest podcast from Today’s Family Lawyer, host David Opie speaks with Hunter Law LLP Partner Richard Kershaw […]
“Millennial Divorces” – harder than traditional separations?
One of the most prevalent legal myths is that of the “common law” husband or wife. The stark legal reality is that no such concept exists. This is irrespective of how long a couple have lived together, whether they purchased a property together, or whether they have children together. If a couple are married, or […]
