BREAKING NEWS: Government ‘will strengthen rights for unmarried couples’ as cohabitation consultation launches
The government has launched its long-awaited consultation on reforms that would give cohabiting couples greater financial protections when relationships end, and automatic inheritance rights when a partner dies without a will. The proposals would also strengthen safeguards for domestic abuse survivors and explore making pre- and post-nuptial agreements legally binding, with minsters arguing the changes […]
‘Regressive’ Supreme Court ruling overturns Cheshire West consent precedent with immediate effect
A landmark judgment in Northern Ireland will have implications for the whole of the UK, after the Supreme Court overruled consent precedent set in Cheshire West. In a decision which has left many charities reeling, the Supreme Court has approved a revision to the Northern Irish Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice so that […]
Compliance roles to be separated from senior leadership, as SRA clamps down on client money protection
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed the first intended actions to come out of recent client money consultations. “Higher risk” firms with a turnover of more than £600,000, or holding more than £2 million of client money, must make sure no single individual can both run a firm and oversee its compliance, including with […]
Legal whistleblowers gain greater protection as SRA gets PIDA designation
Anyone reporting wrongdoing in the legal sector to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) now has greater protection against the risk of retaliatory action. The SRA has been designated a prescribed person under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), giving anyone in the legal sector who acts as a whistleblower legal “protection from detriment”, such […]
ALSP consultant headcount grows 25% in 12 months, topping 5,000
The number of self-employed consultant lawyers within alternative legal service provider (ALSP) platforms has topped 5,000 – a 25% increase in just 12 months. The numbers have been revealed in the fourth Platform Firms Report from Codex Edge. Last year, the report’s authors described ALSPs as “a fundamental part of the UK legal fabric” and […]
Judicial College embeds domestic abuse training into ‘continuous’ curriculum for judges
The Judicial College has set out an overview of its training in domestic abuse for magistrates and judges in family court for the first time. The overview, published in addition to the Judicial College Prospectus for 2026 to 2027, reveals how training in domestic abuse will now be “embedded across the curriculum”. Under the plans, […]
Legal Aid Agency calls for more family legal aid capacity
The Legal Aid Agency has called for greater capacity in areas across the country and has invited firms to submit bids to support access to legal advice and justice. Providers will deliver work under the 2024 Standard Civil Contract with bids encouraged in Dorset, Dudley, East Sussex, Hartlepool, Knowsley, Sandwell, Solihull and St Helens. Issues […]
From conflict to co‑parenting
A quiet revolution is underway in family justice. In this episode of the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast, James Evans, Head of Strategic Growth at Nova and trustee of the newly launched Separated Parenting Programme Directory, explains why a long‑standing gap in support for separated families has finally been closed. For years, high‑quality parenting programmes have […]