Fledgeling family law podcast looks beyond the job
A new podcast presented by two family law partners celebrates the importance of staying connected for wellbeing. According to its co-founders, Family Law Friends focuses “less on the letter of the law and more on the challenges and rewards of the job and how to strike a balance between work and home life.” Co-hosts and […]
Quarter of new law firms don’t make it past five years, research finds
An analysis of Companies House data has revealed a quarter of new businesses in the legal services sector fail to make it past their first five years. Witan Solicitors examined the number of businesses in the legal industry incorporated between January 2021 and December 2025 and compared it to the number that have since entered […]
Does the court do enough to recognise extended family relationships? The law around grandparents’ contact rights
Does the law do enough to recognise grandparents’ rights? Jon Whettingsteel, family partner at Dutton Gregory, doesn’t believe it does. Here, he sets out the current legal position of extended family rights, and explores the options for grandparents prevented from seeing a child, referring to recent case law. As a dad of two young […]
The risks of meeting potential surrogates online: J (A child) (Surrogacy: Adoption Order)
Sarah Dodds, senior associate in the family team at Birketts LLP, shares a cautionary tale for parents considering surrogacy, and examines the legal issues surrounding this contentious area of family law. The decision in Re J (A child) (Surrogacy: Adoption Order) [2025] EWHC 2960 (Fam) is another cautionary tale for intended parents-to-be, with the […]
Profile: Brian Hughes, founder, Rainer Hughes
Brian Hughes, practising solicitor and founder of the Essex and London law firm now known as Rainer Hughes, qualified as a solicitor in 1965 and says he has dealt with every type of legal problem. A qualified family mediator since 1995, Brian rather fittingly celebrates his 90th birthday during Family Mediation Week. Here, he shares […]