Journalist and managing editor of the Today’s Media publications: Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Family Lawyer and Today’s Wills and Probate.
Family lawyers have shared more responses to the government’s A Fairer End to Relationships consultation, which closed last week. Jo Edwards, head of family at Forsters and chair of the Resolution Family Law Reform Committee,
With legal technology developing at pace, Today’s Family Lawyer brings all the latest innovation together in a new regular round up of news, updates and upgrades for family law teams. A new legal practice management
Napthens has strengthened its family law capability with the appointment of Amy Harris as partner in the firm’s Manchester office. Harris (pictured above left) has significant experience advising clients on divorce, financial settlements and relationship
A judge has taken the unusual step of publishing a written judgment criticising the conduct of a firm of solicitors following an adjourned first appointment in a financial remedies hearing. Deputy District Judge Hales, sitting
Lawyers have rejected claims by Baroness Deech that cohabitation reform has no public mandate and will create “profound constitutional change”. In a statement accompanying her response to the government’s consultation on cohabitation rights and proposals
The government has no clear public mandate for introducing automatic legal rights and obligations for cohabiting couples without their consent, Baroness Ruth Deech has warned the justice secretary, Alex Norris. In her response to the
With the government’s consultation on its proposals to reform rights for cohabitating couples set to close at 11.59pm on 14thAugust, representatives from the legal sector have begun to share their responses. The Law Society of
Mark Evans, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, has called for the government to place family legal aid at the centre of its plans for justice reforms. Writing exclusively for Today’s
National charity Family Rights Group has published a roadmap it says will help family justice areas support children and families earlier and safely reduce the need for care proceedings. The roadmap is included in a
Marriage or civil partnerships remain the most common legal partnership status among adults in England and Wales, according to the latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics. The percentage decreased slightly, down from
Almost a third of parents in England and two fifths of parents in Wales return to court in private law proceedings, data from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory reveals. According to Ministry of Justice figures,
Care and placement orders made by the Family Court on the application of a local authority and supported by the children’s guardian have been overturned by the Court of Appeal. In a case which Lord
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced two new appointments to its executive leadership team. Alan Evans joins the regulator as its new executive director, general counsel, risk and compliance and will take up his
Courts have sentenced clients who sent abusive messages threatening the lawyers they blamed for their legal losses. An “obsessive” woman who threatened to kill her former solicitor following a family court case in 2019 was
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published its final Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework and supporting guidance designed to help legal service providers resolve complaints. The guidance aims to help firms deal with
The Legal Ombudsman has shared details of the complaints it received about family law in 2025/26. In its annual report published earlier this month, the LeO revealed complaints had risen by 37% overall, with an
Suzanne Daley, Bell Lamb & Joynson family law partner and head of family (pictured), has been named Professional Services Woman of the Year at the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2026. The award recognises
Cumbria firm Bendles continues its expansion with the acquisition of Atkinson Ritson. The acquisition follows Bendles’ merger with Gaynham, King & Mellor earlier this year, in a deal which saw Bendles’ Cumbria presence expand from
The Legal Services Board is seeking experienced senior leaders to help drive “a major reset” of legal services regulation. The legal services oversight body is recruiting for three senior positions in what chief executive Richard
Steele Raymond has appointed Helen Cort as a partner in its family team, taking the team to 15 members (pictured) and making it one of the firm’s largest practice groups. Cort joins from Dutton Gregory,
The government is seeking views on a proposed shake-up of marriage laws that will give couples more choice over where they get married. The proposals aim to make getting married simpler, more affordable and more
The Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has called for immediate action to overhaul a regulatory framework that is “fragmented, inconsistent and increasingly disconnected from the realities of a modern, technology-enabled legal market” and install a
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has shared its new five-year strategy, which places a strong emphasis on making the legal profession more accessible and campaigning for regulatory reform to break down barriers caused
Sir Colin Birss has been approved as the Master of the Rolls following the retirement of Sir Geoffrey Vos. In a statement released last week, the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary said: “His Majesty King Charles
Data from the domestic abuse charity Refuge reveals a significant increase in referrals for cases of technology facilitated abuse and economic abuse, with “a worrying increase” in perpetrators exploiting car finance agreements. Between April 2025
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (CTJ) has published a protocol to support legal professionals who wish to raise informal concerns about judicial behaviour. The protocol formalises an existing route for reporting concerns and does not
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched a public consultation on new rules for complaint handling by regulated law firms, after proposals in its October 2025 consultation were withdrawn. The additional draft rules build on the
Ramsdens Solicitors has added a new partner to its family team advising clients from its Leeds office as the firm continues to invest in its regional expansion. Siobhan Jeffels (above centre, with Ramsdens’ senior partner
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) celebrated its 25th anniversary on Tuesday 16th June, marking the milestone with a reception at the Royal Courts of Justice. Guests heard from speakers including
A service launched by TV Edwards Solicitors aims to address the trauma, unfair parental blame and unmet needs neurodivergent parents experience in the family justice system. The London-based firm’s Neurodiversity Aware Family Law service team
Fraud operates “on an industrial scale” and is a threat to national security, according to the latest Annual Fraud Report from UK Finance. The report reveals romance scams have risen to record levels, up by
MSB Solicitors’ associate solicitor Michael Boland has been named Future Leader at the British LGBT Awards. The awards are held to recognise the individuals, organisations and businesses that have made a significant contribution to advancing
The government has shared details of its long-awaited consultation on reforming cohabitation rights, which is open now and will run for 10 weeks until 14th August. The consultation will look at three key areas of
On Friday, the government published its long-awaited consultation on reforming cohabitation rights, in what it called “the biggest reform to family law in decades” with the aim of “bringing the law into the 21st century”.
In the latest round of family law appointments, Knights, Burgess Mee and Watkins Solicitors have announced new partners, with family teams across the country sharing news of appointments and promotions. Knights has strengthened its team
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