Court of Appeal rules on ‘extraordinary’ Copinger-Symes case
The Court of Appeal has ruled on the case of the former manager of the rock band INXS and her £14 million legal battle with her ex-husband and multimillionaire mother, in a case described as “extraordinary” by family professionals. The former European manager of 80’s band INXS, Maria-Christina Copinger-Symes, an estranged member of a hugely […]
Pathfinder courts to be rolled out across England and Wales
Following extensive trials, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced Pathfinder courts will be rolled out across England and Wales with £17 million in government funding for the next financial year. The name of the courts will be updated to Child Focused Courts. Deputy prime minister and justice secretary David Lammy made the announcement this […]
AI is blurring boundaries on legal advice, new LSB chief exec warns
Richard Orpin, the new chief executive of the Legal Services Board, has hailed legal services as a “huge economic success story,” but warned that “AI is blurring the boundaries between regulated and unregulated legal advice.” Speaking at LegalEx London, Orpin (pictured) highlighted that the revenue generated by legal activities in the UK grew from £41.4 […]
Nuffield FJO calls for outcomes-based measures in family justice
The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield FJO) is calling for the introduction of shared measures of success across the family justice system, arguing that current metrics – focused on system efficiencies such as the length of proceedings – do not capture the outcomes that matter to children and families. In a briefing document published this […]
Cohabitation reform ‘a matter of utmost importance’ ahead of spring consultation
The government has reconfirmed its intention to consult on cohabitation reform in the spring, describing it as a “matter of utmost importance”. Responding to a written question from Liberal Democrat spokesperson Joshua Reynolds, Alex Davies-Jones, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for justice said the consultation would “consider how best to strengthen the rights of cohabitating […]
Court judgments reinforce the importance of financial disclosure on divorce
A family law specialist has highlighted the implications for those going through divorce proceedings following the publication of two significant cases. The first case (MK v SK [2026] EWFC 28) relates to an allegation of non-disclosure of assets by a husband within divorce proceedings. The husband’s presentation was that his assets were ‘almost nil’. The wife […]