New legal definition of ‘honour’ abuse introduced, along with widened CPS guidance
A legal definition of ‘honour’-based abuse will be brought into the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, alongside a power to issue statutory guidance for authorities, the Home Office has announced. The Crown Prosecution Service has also introduced new guidance to include spiritual abuse, immigration abuse, forced marriage and a widening range of harmful practices. The […]
Family lawyer questions effectiveness of domestic abuse legislation
The effectiveness of new government legislation meant to protect domestic abuse victims has been called into question by a family lawyer, who says the new orders are simply a “rehash” of previous legislation which police officers are not trained to use properly. Richard Port MBE, partner at mfg Solicitors with expertise in providing advise to […]
Record investment in legal tech and artificial intelligence solutions
Investment in UK legal tech rose to record levels in 2025, with backing for companies specialising in artificial intelligence (AI) “surging”, according to figures published today by LawtechUK. The newly published figures from the Ministry of Justice backed initiative, which provides funding and incubation for law tech start-ups, suggest a 35% increase in legal technology […]
UK legal services sector grew by 6.1% last year, with family law worth £3.6bn
The UK legal services sector grew by 6.1% last year, according to the latest legal services market report from IRN Legal Reports. The total estimated value of the market last year was £55.5 billion, with family law accounting for £3.6 billion – the third largest sector. The largest segment in the consumer legal services market […]
Separating compliance roles ‘complex and impractical’ Law Society says in client money consultation response
Proposals which would insist on separate post holders for roles of Compliance Office for Legal Practice (COLP), Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA), Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), Senior Reporting Officer (SRO) amongst other compliance-related roles in law firms are ‘complex and impractical’, the Law Society says in its response to the Solicitors Regulation […]
Frank Arndt on fixing the family law bottleneck
The latest Today’s Family Lawyer podcast features Frank Arndt, founder of Paradigm Family Law and co‑founder of Whatwouldajudgesay. Arndt is well known in the sector. A former German judge. A specialist in international family law. A familiar face on the BBC’s red sofa. And a vocal commentator on LinkedIn. His new venture aims to tackle […]
Can adoption ever be undone? The Supreme Court considers the limits of finality
Dr Michael Wells-Greco and Hannah Owen from Charles Russell Speechlys ask whether the Supreme Court will overturn the Court of Appeal’s ruling that adoption orders can’t be set aside, and examine the questions that arise from the “deeply sad and unusual” case. The UK Supreme Court sat on 4 and 5 February 2026 to […]