Diary of a Legal Aid Lawyer: Refuges
Clarity – and some relief – for residents and staff of refuges Anyone who has worked in the area of domestic abuse for any length of time will be relieved at the sensible and well thought through judgment of Sir Andrew McFarlane in Re P (Service on Parents in a Refuge) [2023] EWHC 471 (Fam) […]
MHAW: Raising mental health awareness in the legal sector
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event observed in many places around the world. The aim of this week is to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Although it is highlighted as a only a week to reflect on, it is something that […]
Time to call ceasefire on divorce battle language
Words have meaning, and the way we use them matters. Take words like “bitter”, “battle”, “fight”, “anger”, “revenge” – all could aptly be used to describe seismic conflicts from human history. But rather than pulling them from the Wikipedia page about the Battles of Hastings in 1066 or Waterloo in 1815, they are instead a […]
Family Reporting Pilot extended to private law
On 31st January 2023, the reporting pilot launched in Leeds, Cardiff and Carlisle. The pilot launched initially in public law cases only. As of Monday 15th May 2023, the pilot has been extended to private law. This bulletin sets out some further guidance on issues that have been raised so far, and dealt with as […]
SRA proposes new strategy focused on enhancing confidence in legal services
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched a consultation on its proposed Corporate Strategy for 2023–2026. Alongside publication of the overall strategy, it is also consulting on the finer detail of its business plan and budget for 2023-24, the first year of the new strategy period, which comes into effect from November 2023. Over the […]
Home Office announces raft of new measures set to ‘weed out’ domestic abuse
The Home Office has announced a £39 million package of new measures aiming to “weed out” domestic abuse and stalking across England and Wales. 50 projects will be rolled out over the next two years with the intention of stopping abusers from repeatedly targeting victims and terrorising vulnerable people. For example, one West Midlands project […]
Time to take ‘justice’ out of family justice system, says top judge
It is high time that the word “justice” was taken out of “family justice system” as part of a broader effort to seek solutions instead of justice, according to His Honour Judge Martin Dancey. Speaking at the recent Private Law Children & Financial Remedies Conference held by 3PB in Birmingham, HHJ Dancey explained the problems […]
1GC announces two new additions to their ranks
1GC has announced two recent additions to their rants which means they are now a 97-strong set. Becky Littlewood joined the Chambers a couple of weeks ago. Becky, who was called to the bar in 1988, is said to be a specialist in financial remedy and care proceedings. In financial remedy proceedings she deals with […]
77% of local authorities offer no specialist support for children who have experienced sexual abuse – report
Children who have experienced sexual and domestic abuse, could currently find it hard to get the specialist support they need, according to data from the NSPCC. The NSPCC sent freedom of information requests to 174 local authorities across England and Wales, and received 119 responses. The research revealed that only 23% of local authorities said […]
Cohabitees warned as ONS data reveals extent of pandemic plunge in marriages
New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the extent of the sharp drop in the number of people getting married during 2020. According to the ONS, there were 85,770 marriages in total in England and Wales in 2020, a decrease of 61% from 219,850 in 2019. This fall represents the […]
Police officers with links to domestic abuse and sex offences ‘still being recruited’
Police officers with a history of domestic abuse against multiple partners and more have managed to pass vetting procedures in recent months, as reported in the Guardian. The police watchdog of England and Wales revealed that, over two months, numerous concerns were found about the new recruits in the police force. These include a “history […]
Law for Life updates on success of Affordable Advice service
Law for Life has published an update on the success of its Affordable Advice service it operates in conjunction with Resolution. The service, which was developed to meet the needs of Litigants in Person (LiPs) who do not seek the advice they need from family law solicitors, is aimed people who are managing their finances […]
