‘Justice gap’ risks miscarriages of justice as parliament calls for legal aid intervention
A Justice Committee report has called for urgent government intervention into legal aid to increase fees and enable better access to justice. Access to Justice: Legal Aid calls for the findings of 2022’s Legal Aid Means Test Review, which proposed income and capital thresholds for legal aid eligibility, to be implemented. The review also recommended […]
Ofsted ‘doesn’t know how many unregistered children’s homes there are’ ahead of crackdown
Research published by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) shows while there are now more children’s homes than ever before, homes are getting smaller, are often not in the right places, or are unable to meet the needs of children needing residential care. There is also a “sharp growth” in […]
Family Mediation Council calls for urgent increase to legal aid rates
Legal aid rates for family mediators, which have remained frozen for 25 years, must be improved to “ease pressure on family courts”, the Family Mediation Council (FMC) has warned. The organisation is calling for urgent action on rates after a Justice Select Committee report, Access to Justice: Legal Aid, was published last week. The report, […]
Surrogacy petition to be debated in parliament
A petition to change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth will be debated in parliament after hitting the threshold for signatures. The petition, which calls for families who have children via a surrogate “not to have to go through months of court proceedings and social worker visits to be recognised as the parents […]
Prenups for the next generation: Could reform reshape the protection of family wealth?
Victoria Cannon, partner and head of family law at Hugh James, considers whether the government’s proposals to make certain nuptial agreements legally binding could transform prenups from a family law precaution into a central part of succession planning and family governance. The government’s proposals to make certain nuptial agreements legally binding could transform prenups […]