A majority of MPs voted to decriminalise abortion in the open debate in Parliament this week. A majority of 242 passed an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which will ensure women who terminate
The Law Society of England and Wales has announced that it supports the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) reprioritisation of work and the emphasis placed on investing in its core functions in the 2025-2026 business plan
New research from the Legal Services Board (LSB) reveals the price of legal services is rising, but the transparency of the prices offered is improving and consumers are benefitting from more services being made available
Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer has apparently u-turned on the decision to hold an enquiry into grooming gangs, accepting the recommendations of Baroness Louise Casey and announcing a national inquiry will be conducted. The Prime
Chatham specialist family law firm Hatton Family Law has been acquired by Stowe Family Law expanding the presence of the private-equity backed firm into the Southern Home Counties, said Stowe Chairman Ken Fowlie. Hatton Family
There is an ‘urgent need’ for enhanced accountability and responsiveness across the legal services sector when it comes to providing clients with both information about redress and complaint, and handling complaints about services provided. A
Today’s Media spoke to Amanda Hamilton, director and patron of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP), about the evolving role of the paralegal and NALP’s role in the profession’s voluntary self-regulation. A recent survey
In this powerful episode of the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast, host David Opie welcomes Shoba Aziz, an experienced barrister at Great James St Chambers, for an important conversation exploring the psychological dimensions of domestic abuse—specifically
The open debate on decriminalising abortion law will take place this week after Labour MP for Gower Tonia Antoniazzi tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise the process without ‘changing anything
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending review was a missed opportunity to address the estimated £307m shortfall in spending on violence against women and girls (VAWG) say Refuge in a scathing attack on the government’s commitment to
Rising living costs and have been attributed to a 66% increase in the number of settlements being contested as the number disputes arising from divorce awards hits a 15 year high. There were 76,000 divorces
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has thrown its weight behind criticism of the family courts system describing it as inefficient and “poor value for money for taxpayers” in its response to the Public
A High Court ruling related to the use of AI in legal proceedings has warned there will be ‘severe sanctions’ for lawyers who fail to comply with their professional obligations when using the technology. Managing
More than 42 million people in England and Wales, equating to nearly 70% of the population, do not have a community legal aid provider in their area according to research conducted by The Law Society.
Plans to ‘restore confidence’ in the justice systems and help get victims the justice they deserve have been announced as a new pilot is launched to offer survivors of rape or serious sexual abuse the
The spending review is expected to inject a 10% uplift in funding for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the courts to tackle record backlogs. It is understood Chancellor Rachel Reeves will allocate £250m to
Richard Atkinson, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, says the government’s Invest 2035 industrial strategy has the potential to be ‘a game-changer for the UK economy and the legal sector’. The
The role of compliance professionals in law firms is often ‘misunderstood’ by colleagues, leading to misconceptions and a lack of appreciation for their efforts; which are often undertaken at personal cost to individual mental health
A £300,000 grant will support the efforts of Cheshire Police to invest in artificial intelligence to build capability to identify complex stalking behaviours at an early stage. The grant, submitted by , has been awarded
Law firms continue to invest in marketing and business development activity, but the evidence suggests only one in five firms involve their marketing teams in actively driving the strategic growth of the organisation. An overall
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been directed to take action by the Legal Services Board (LSB) in the wake of the independent review into the failure of Axiom Ince. In response to the report,
The cyber attack at the Legal Aid Agency which has taken down many of its system has had a ‘devastating’ effect on the sector, particularly for legal aid firms who simply don’t have the cash
A judicial review has overturned in part a decision by the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) to award a family law firm’s client over £50,000 after they complained the firm had failed to adequately assess capacity and
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is seeking views on new proposals for dealing with client complaints, which include changing when relevant information about the process must be provided and displaying the details prominently online. Although
Placing further ‘onerous duties on frontline regulators that will deliver little more than what is currently in place‘ was one of the comments from CILEX in response to the Legal Services Board’s ‘Upholding Professional Ethical
Former journalist Dana Denis-Smith OBE has been elected as the new deputy vice president of the Law Society of England and Wales, taking office from October 2025. Denis-Smith OBE spent a decade as a journalist
In this episode of the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast host David Opie is joined by Mike Mack, CEO of the Family Mediation Trust, and Lorraine Bramwell, a seasoned family mediator and trainer, to discuss the
The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme has increased two sentences following referrals to the Court of Appeal. In one case, a carer who sexually abused a severely disabled child had their sentence extended from three years
The Intermediary Cooperative (TIC) is the latest organisation to partner with Today’s Family Lawyer, aiming to raise its profile with the growing readership; the not-for-profit social enterprise provides high quality HMCTS Appointed Intermediary services across
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has responded to the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) Upholding Professional Ethical Duties consultation saying it feels annual training on ethics should be mandatory. The consultation, which closed on
Sentencing reforms announced in the last week in the wake of the review by former Justice Secretary David Gauke, have been described as ‘landmark’ by the government but those campaigning for the rights of those
It is estimated one in four adults have experienced some form of domestic abuse since the age of 16, an increase from previous figures which estimated the number was closet o one in five, after
The Legal Aid Agency continues to update its Frequently Asked Questions page following the cyber attack which has forced many of its systems offline. The page was created in the wake of the attack on
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has set out its expectations for service providers when dealing with third-party delays, which stress the importance of effective communication. The LeO says almost half of the complaints it receives are
A new bill passed by the Scottish Parliament will prevent anyone who isn’t licensed from using the title ‘lawyer’, following a 10-year campaign by the Law Society of Scotland. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland)
There is no better time for financial advisors to enter the divorce and separation market according to a new report from membership body Resolution which estimates the value of the opportunity at around £1/2bn. ‘Unlock