Supreme Court rules in favour of husband in Standish v Standish
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of a wife who argued the transfer of nearly £80m from her husband for the purposes of future tax planning was a shared asset and therefore subject to the ‘sharing principle’ in divorce proceedings. Lord Burrows and Lord Stephens have today delivered the verdict of the Supreme Court, […]
New statutory instrument for Legal Aid Agency following cyber attack
A new statutory instrument has been rushed through Parliament to deal with the aftermath of the cyber attack at the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). The Criminal and Civil Legal Aid (Amendment) Regulations 2025 were passed last week which will introduce ‘secondary legislation to make temporary operational changes’ said Justice Minister Sarah Sackman MP in a […]
Divorce on the decrease as couples increasingly choose to cohabit
In the second full year of data following the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, so-called ‘No Fault Divorce’ (NFD), 74% of divorces are now processed under the regime. Implemented on 6th April 2022, there is evidence to suggest many couples had waited for the act to pass before initiating proceedings say the Office for […]
Reaction to landmark Supreme Court ruling on Standish v Standish
The family law community has been reacting to the landmark Standish v Standish decision in which the Supreme Court dismissed the claims of a wife who contended a near-£80m transfer from her then-husband to her should be considered a matrimonial asset. The case and decision, the detail of which is available to review here, moves […]
LSB Chief steps down after just 12 months in the role
Super-regulator, The Legal Services Board (LSB), has announced Chief Executive Craig Westwood will leave the organisation after just a year in the role having tendered his resignation citing personal reasons this week. Westwood was appointed in May 2024 and took on the role of Chief Executive having previous been Director of Communications, Policy and Research […]
On the move – partner and associate appointment round up
Collaborative lawyer and mediatory Louise Masters has joined Ward Hadaway as a Partner in its Family and Matrimonial team in the Newcastle office to drive the growth of its One Lawyer, Resolution Together service alongside Partner Gemma Iceton. With almost two decades of experience and known for her leadership in alternative dispute resolution, her role […]
The ‘Writing to Children’ Toolkit in practice
In this episode of the Today’s Family Lawyer podcast, host David Opie is joined by Jude Eyre, Associate Director at the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO). Together, they explore the newly released Toolkit for Judges on Writing to Children, a guidance document designed to support judges in communicating directly with children in family law proceedings. Jude offers insight into the collaborative process […]
Piggy in the middle – children and covert recordings in family law
Children disputes are often complicated affairs, and separating couples can become very acrimonious when making child arrangements. Sadly, some parents have resorted to underhand techniques in order to ‘one-up’ their ex. Children can often end up in the middle of these disputes which are harmful to both their short- and long-term wellbeing. One such method […]