Thousands of children to be supported thanks to multi-million expansion of innovation in family courts
The £12.5 million funding boost comes as new figures published show the Pathfinder scheme is resolving cases faster, with family court backlogs reduced by half in pilot areas. The Pathfinder pilot works by bringing together local authorities, police and support services to gather and share information on cases as early as possible. This saves children […]
Coercive control offenders to face stricter supervision under multi-agency protection rules
Offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour, and sentenced to 12 months or longer, will now be automatically managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements. This means agencies are legally required to cooperate to better manage the risks posed by these serious offenders, recognising the significant harm this kind of offending can cause. For the first […]
UK introduces new laws to tackle AI-generated child abuse images
The UK government has announced four new laws aimed at tackling the growing threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as recently reported by The BBC. The Home Office says the UK will be the first country in the world to make it illegal to possess, create, or distribute AI tools designed to generate […]
20% of all police-recorded crime was related to violence against women and girls – report
The National Police Chiefs’ Council reported that, in 2022-23, 20% of all police-recorded crime was related to violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls can have long-term impacts on victims, affecting them physically, mentally, socially and financially. Over one in four women are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted […]
New reforms to support victims of child sexual abuse
The Government is delivering on recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) to make it easier for victims to gain an apology and to pursue claims in the civil court. The three-year time limit for victims to bring personal injury claims will be removed. So will the burden of proof that currently […]
‘Delegate Now to Supercharge Your Profits’ – read our second exclusive extract
In a series of short excerpts from a new book, Dan Warburton shares his insight on how law firm owners and senior managers can increase their profits by being better at delegating their workload. Over the course of the next three weeks Today’s Family Lawyer is serialising Delegate Now to Supercharge Your Profits with a weekly […]
Private judging becomes the norm for resolving financial aspects of divorce
Wealthy couples are increasingly by-passing the public, slow and chronically underfunded family court system to resolve the financial aspects of their divorce with the help of a private judge, especially in London, according to law firm Kingsley Napley. Although the introduction of No-Fault-Divorce in April 2022 has reduced acrimony around the dissolution of a marriage, […]
Jenny from (her agreed share of) the Block: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s mediation settlement
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have reportedly settled their well-publicised divorce through mediation, with an agreement being reached in September 2024 after their official separation in August 2024. The pair married in July 2022, following an almost 20-year separation since they called off their first engagement in January 2004. Divorce papers reveal that neither party […]
Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse: Legal comment
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse [IICSA], chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, published its final report in October 2022 in which it recommended the introduction of legislation that places certain individuals – ‘mandated reporters’ – under a statutory duty to report child sexual abuse [CSA] (i.e. any act that would be an offence under […]
