NAO gives damning verdict of family courts as 4000 children still in proceedings 2 years on
The lack of a joined up approach to family law proceedings is part of a wider issue of accountability within the courts service which is causing harm to families and costing millions according to a damning report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into family courts. With responsibility for family justice shared between the Ministry […]
LAA offline to deal with cyber attack after unconfirmed reports of 2.1m records affected
There are unverified reports of up to 2.1m people’s records being accessed by the group responsible for the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) cyber attack confirmed last week. Those affected are thought to be people who have applied for legal aid in the last 15 years, with personal details including contact details, addresses, national insurance number, […]
EHRC seeks views on updated sex and gender guidance following Supreme Court ruling
Enquiries about a person’s sex and gender could be ‘justified’ according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the wake of the landmark judgment passed down by the Supreme Court. Hospitals, sports clubs and leisure centres will be allowed to request birth certificates to ensure single-sex services are ‘protected’ but, warns the EHRC, […]
Consultant model ‘a fundamental part of the UK legal fabric’
Alternative legal platform providers, otherwise known as consultant-model law firms, continue to demonstrate ‘importance that lawyers are placing on autonomy, work-life balance, and the ability to build a practice supported by strong infrastructure’ say the authors of a report into the size and structure of the market. The sector hit over 4,000 practitioners last year, […]
Guidance on the use of covert recordings in family proceedings published
Guidance on the use of and admissibility of recording secretly made to provide evidence for family law proceedings has been published by the Family Justice Council; recognising the sparsity of advice in this complex area of law. Covert recordings in Family Law proceedings concerning children: Family Justice Council Guidance’, follows an increased use of covert […]
Marriage, cohabitation and undue influence amongst key recommendations in Law Commission’s modernising Wills Report
The Law Commission has published its much-anticipated report into the modernisation of Wills law and testamentary freedom in which it outlines reform recommendations including the enablement of electronic wills; the abolition of the law that revokes a Will upon marriage; and the updating of the test for testamentary capacity to recognise the modern test in […]
How could Law Commission’s Wills reforms impact family law?
The Law Commission has published its latest report on Wills and Private Client reforms. This isn’t the first time the Commission have tackled this field, the first time being in 2017 which resulted in a Consultation Paper. Now, not much off a decade later, their latest report and draft Bill have been laid before Parliament […]
The power of civility: Why amicable correspondence between family lawyers matters
It is timely that I am writing this during mental health awareness week, and against the background of having attended two seminars this week by top set Chambers, where the speakers, including a sitting Judge, discussed the importance of being respectful to your contemporaries. In the emotionally charged realm of family law, where clients are […]