maternity leave

A Private Member’s Bill is seeking to end women on maternity leave being forced into redundancy. The Bill comes after an investigation found that women on maternity leave are being denied their rights under the

SRA logo

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has established an SRA-run indemnity scheme meaning that existing Solicitors Indemnity Fund arrangements, as operated by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund Limited (SIFL), will be replaced with SRA-run indemnity arrangements from September

Cost of living crisis

The cost of living crisis has resulted in many couples becoming detached, however, due to financial constraints many couples cannot afford to get divorced or separated. Due to debt and stresses from affording essentials it

pay for junior family lawyers

Salaries for junior family lawyers are increasing faster than those of their more qualified counterparts, according to new research. As part of its annual salary research conducted in the spring, Realm Recruit found that the

value-based pricing

Jacqueline Brown spoke at The Legal Iconoclasts Expo on value-based pricing and its introduction at her firm Lynn & Brown Lawyers Pty Ltd. Value-based pricing provides a new form of payment for clients whereby costs

sexual misconduct

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has produced new guidance on the issue of sexual misconduct within law firms. The guidance sets out what it expects from firms and individuals and illustrates the types of behaviours

psychologist

A mother from Croydon has claimed a psychologist assigned to her by the court was not properly regulated. She stated the psychologist’s assessment should be removed from her case, which involves a dispute with her

divorces due to cost of living crisis

Divorce lawyers have stated there have been a large increase in the amount of divorces, mainly because of the ongoing cost of living crisis. The managing associate for Cripps law firm, Nick Gova, said “the

older males domestic abuse

A report has found there are significant barriers for older men seeking help for domestic abuse. The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales stated this may place these people in danger of not only physical, but

care workers

The government have announced that training opportunities will be made available for social care staff to develop their careers over the next three years. This comes as part of a £500 million support package for

consultation for new sexual harassment offence

The Home Office have opened a consultation to garner the public’s views over the creation of a new criminal offence for incidences of public sexual harassment. The “Public Sexual Harassment Offence” will look to target

HM Courts and Tribunal Service’s latest court statistics have shown that there is an increase in the backlog of Crown Court cases, despite a previous reduction. This has worsened an already tumultuous situation for those

socio-economic diversity

The City of London Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce, which the Law Society of England and Wales sits on, has today published a report into progression to senior levels in the UK financial and professional services, which

duty of good faith

A London law firm have lost an appeal against a former client, who they claim broke a retainer which stated they owed the firm a duty of good faith. The case has raised questions as

To help the legal profession renew or purchase cyber insurance, the Law Society of England and Wales has today published revised and updated guidance outlining how firms can cover costs and losses in the event

divorce settlement

Divorce proceedings between an unnamed couple have caused a seismic change in how marital assets are divided. The case has been seen as a major step forward for gender equality and for recognising the role

unmarried mothers

Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales in 2021 show that the number of babies born to unmarried mothers and those not in a civil partnership have overtaken those born to mothers

Derek Rodgers

Derek Rodgers, managing partner of major regional law firm Gardner Leader, has been elected as the new chair of LawNet’s member-led board. He takes on the role as the SME law firm network announces continued

uk legal sector

The UK legal sector is set to receive £4 million of investment which will help develop technological advancements. This, it is hoped, will modernise the sector and keep the sector competitive on the world stage.

rape trials

The government have announced new technology and training will be provided to help courts with rape trials. Trials will be held in London, Leeds and Newcastle. This follows calls from earlier this years to have

Legal Ombudsman

In an exclusive interview with Today’s Media, the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has responded to criticism in the national press. The Times released an article on July 30th criticising the LeO for long wait times for

The Office for National Statistics has brought together data sources to provide the best understanding of the scale of domestic abuse, sexual offences and violence against women and girls during the pandemic. The impact of

Forced Marriage Unit

The number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support has dropped for each of the last four years, declining from 1,507 in 2018 to 337 in 2021. However, despite

Parenting Disputes

Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division of courts in England and Wales, has issued a blunt reminder to parents that courts are not the best place to resolve “relationship disputes” which are at

Marriage Allowance

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging married couples to sign up for the Marriage Allowance, which could help save £252 a year. This will help partners share personal tax allowances between them if

The words “bodily autonomy” and “sexual and reproductive health and rights” have been removed from a multinational statement. The statement, which was organised by the UK Government, originally centred on a fundamental rights for women

The parents of the Archie Battersbee have lost an appeal against a decision to allow life support treatment to end. Appeal judges have supported a High Court ruling to end the 12-year-old boy’s life support.

Legal disputes are to be resolved through free mediation under new plans set out by the government. This could benefit individuals and businesses, whilst also cut down the amount of civil court cases. Ministers have

An investigation by BBC News has discovered that at least 120 children in care have been illegally placed in unregulated homes in England. Chief-executive of Become, a charity for children in care, Katharine Sacks-Jones, claimed