Family judges have been encouraged to write to children involved in court proceedings in an updated toolkit published this week. Before his retirement on Monday, the former president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane,
Sir Andrew McFarlane is retiring from the judiciary and as President of the Family Division, President of the Court of Protection and Head of Family Justice after a long and distinguished career guiding the Family
Law firms in England and Wales experienced rapid, sector-wide growth in 2025, with average earnings up by 11.2% compared with a 6.1% increase in 2024. The figures, released yesterday in the Law Society’s new annual
A solicitor has called for courts in England and Wales to take heed of a landmark decision in Scotland which held an abuser criminally responsible for the suicide of his partner. Lee Milne, 40, was
The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Monisha Shah as chair of the Legal Services Board for four years from 1st April 2026. For the last 12 months, Catherine Brown had acted as interim
Rachel Frost-Smith is head of children at Birketts. She is a children arbitrator, solicitor-advocate (higher rights, civil proceedings), and a Resolution-accredited specialist (private law children and private law children advocacy). Rachel leads the private children
The UK Family Law Report 2026, the 12th edition of the annual research report from IRN Legal Reports, forecasts steady growth for the sector, with a forecast of 6% growth in 2026 and a compound
Analysis from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory exploring future needs of the family justice system suggests there will be an increase in international origins and ties, a more ethnically diverse range of families, more parents
Landmark legislation in Japan has enabled separating parents to be jointly responsible in custody proceedings, in a move which is set to benefit UK divorce cases with an international element involving the country. Until the
Hampshire law firm Andrew & Andrew Solicitors has appointed Shikha Datta as head of its newly established family law department, as the firm continues its growth and expansion of services. Datta brings over 25 years
Private equity backed consolidator Lawfront has announced the acquisition of Reading based Field Seymour Parkes, taking the total number of firms under its ‘regional leaders’ banner to seven. Field Seymour Parkes joins regional firms Farleys,
Charlotte Haskayne, Business Manager at Northgene, joins the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast to lift the lid on the realities of legal DNA testing and its growing role in modern family law. Where is DNA evidence
Katie is a partner in the Family team and a children’s law specialist. She is one of only a few family law solicitors in the jurisdiction who only practices in children’s law and domestic abuse
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed the appointment of Richard Blakeway (pictured) to the post of chair of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) after an open competition. The appointment follows Blakeway’s appearance before
Ministry of Justice figures have revealed a high of 1,440 deprivation of liberty (DoL) applications in 2025, up 12.5% since the previous year. Quarter four data in the Family Court Statistics Quarterly release reveals 379
The president of the Family Division has issued guidance on allocation and gatekeeping in respect of proceedings relating to children in the Family Court, in accordance with rule 21 of the Family Court (Composition and
LawtechUK, a Ministry of Justice-backed initiative supporting technology startups in the legal sector, has secured further funding to enable it to continue operating for the next three years. The programme, currently delivered in a partnership
Zoe heads up Hill and Company’s family and matrimonial law department, advising clients across all aspects of relationship breakdown and family arrangements. Specialising in family law since she began her career almost a decade ago,
Children in care will be better supported to build and maintain relationships with their siblings under new measures brought forward in law by the government. All local authorities in England and Wales will be required
The latest Family Court Statistics Quarterly for October to December 2025 shows a “concerning” rise in the number of domestic violence remedy orders applied for, up 5% in the final quarter of 2025 compared with
A woman has been jailed for seven years and seven months after deceiving multiple men out of tens of thousands of pounds over a four year period. Gemma Kingsley, of Beadnell in Northumberland, falsely claimed
The number of private law, financial remedy, domestic violence and adoption cases brought before the family courts in the final quarter of 2025 was 4% up on the same quarter in 2024, with 64,336 new
The Legal Services Board has outlined how it intends to strengthen lawyers’ ethical standards in a statement of policy which sets out new expectations designed to reinforce lawyers’ role in upholding the rule of law.
The House of Lords Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee has published a call for evidence in its inquiry considering the effective operation of the act and whether it is meeting its policy objectives. The committee
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has launched a call for input on its draft Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework aimed at improving the consistency and quality of how complaints are handled by legal
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a new practical guide to help solicitors make safer, more informed technology decisions and warns that unsafe AI adoption may expose firms to risks. The majority
The legal profession lacks formal training on managing vicarious trauma, emotional overwhelm, and the human dynamics underpinning family breakdown, leading to family professionals’ own mental health and wellbeing coming under pressure through their work. With
An aristocrat is engaged in a complex High Court battle to prevent trustees of his ex-wife’s £1.2 million income fund from selling a cottage on his family’s 11th century rural estate in Somerset. Sir Benjamin
Abigail is a senior associate in the family and divorce team, with over 26 years’ post-qualification experience. She is a member of Resolution, with specialist accreditations in private law children and financial remedy matters and
The Court of Appeal has ruled on the case of the former manager of the rock band INXS and her £14 million legal battle with her ex-husband and multimillionaire mother, in a case described as
Following extensive trials, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced Pathfinder courts will be rolled out across England and Wales with £17 million in government funding for the next financial year. The name of the
The government has reconfirmed its intention to consult on cohabitation reform in the spring, describing it as a “matter of utmost importance”. Responding to a written question from Liberal Democrat spokesperson Joshua Reynolds, Alex Davies-Jones,
A family law specialist has highlighted the implications for those going through divorce proceedings following the publication of two significant cases. The first case (MK v SK [2026] EWFC 28) relates to an allegation of
Lauren qualified as a solicitor in 2016, having completed her training contract at a firm in Chester and joined Rowlinsons in the same month. She specialises in family law, including private Children Act proceedings, divorce,
The Government is seeking views on how digital ID could be used to make public services quicker, easier and more secure to access. Launching a national public consultation, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has published a new Evidence and Insights Pack examining harmful sexual behaviour, misogyny and violence carried out by children, bringing together the latest research, data and practice examples from across