MPs urge government to confirm timeline for cohabitation reform
A cross-party group of MPs is urging the government to confirm its plans for cohabitation reform, following a 2024 manifesto pledge to strengthen legal protections for women in cohabiting relationships, as reported by The Law Society Gazette. Labour MP Andy Slaughter, chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee, has written to Lord Ponsonby, […]
Labour shelves gender reform plans amid reform UK surge
Labour has put plans to simplify the legal process for gender recognition on hold, The Times has learned, as the party shifts focus in response to Reform UK’s rising popularity. During last summer’s election, Labour pledged to replace the current panel of doctors and lawyers who approve gender recognition certificates with a registrar system, aiming […]
UK becomes first country to create new AI sexual abuse offences
Children will be protected from the growing threat of predators generating AI images and from online sexual abuse as the UK becomes the first country in the world to create new AI sexual abuse offences. AI tools are being used to generate child sexual abuse images in a number of sickening ways including by “nudeifying” […]
Risk series launches for law firm managers and compliance professionals
A new training series aimed at risk managers, compliance officers and senior leaders in law firms has been launched by Today’s Media, the publishers of Today’s Family Lawyer. It will be hosted as part of the extensive training available through Today’s Training; which provide ongoing competence/CPD training for practitioners through partnerships with industry experts. The […]
High Court orders husband to pay £750k for wife’s divorce costs
A High Court judge has ordered a husband to pay £750,000 towards his wife’s legal costs but cautioned against any excessive or disproportionate spending. Deputy High Court Judge Nicholas Allen KC, presiding in SM v BS (Legal Services Payment Order), ruled that while the wife required funding to secure legal representation, she could still be […]
Open Justice: Strengthening transparency and upholding the rule of law
The Ministry of Justice has released its consultation outcome on Open Justice, following a comprehensive Call for Evidence conducted between May and September 2023. The initiative sought insights from legal professionals, the judiciary, media representatives, businesses, academics, and the general public to explore how the government can uphold and enhance transparency in the justice system. […]
The important role of intermediaries in court proceedings
In the latest Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast host David Opie discusses the role of intermediaries in the justice system with Lucy Osmond, Lead Practitioner at Communicourt. With over a decade of experience in facilitated communication, Osmond sheds light on the essential work Communicourt does in supporting HMCTS and ensuring that all court users can effectively […]
Fifteen years on – The impact of Radmacher on UK prenups and divorces
It is now some fifteen years since the UK Supreme Court gave its landmark decision in the case of Radmacher v Granatino [2010] UKSC 42 on the use and effectiveness of prenuptial agreements. In doing so it moved the emphasis on to holding the parties to their bargain when setting out the principle that “the court should […]