‘Divorce day is a myth’ – family lawyers weigh in on annual ‘event’
The first working Monday of the year has been dubbed ‘divorce day’, due to a supposed influx of couples seeking legal help to end their marriages. But much like the thoroughly debunked Blue Monday, which continues to receive mainstream coverage two decades after a PR company came up with the concept to sell holidays, family […]
Psychotherapist loses bid for anonymity, as Appeal Court rules judicial criticism doesn’t trigger additional rights
A psychotherapist who attempted to block being named in the judgment on a case for which she was a witness has had her bid for anonymity refused by the Court of Appeal. Aimee Dover, a witness of fact relating to private law proceedings, appealed to have a judgment containing “significant criticisms of her professional conduct” […]
High Court test case will decide whether WhatsApp messages are legally binding
A divorced artist who claims her ex-husband signed over their £1.5 million home to her via WhatsApp after their split is locked in a High Court test case fight to keep it. London-based painter Hsiao Mei-Lin married Icelandic financier Audun Mar Gudmundsson in 2009, but the pair had a troubled marriage and separated in 2016. […]
Over half a million children to be lifted out of poverty in ‘historic’ strategy
A government strategy to lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030 will see the biggest reduction in poverty in a single parliament since records began, the prime minister’s office has said. Describing the strategy as “a moral mission for me,” the prime minister said the strategy will set “a new course for national renewal, […]
UK law societies back landmark treaty to protect lawyers
UK law societies have united to call for urgent ratification of a new treaty designed to protect lawyers this World Human Rights Day (10 December). They say that the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer provides a protective framework against the rising tide of harassment, threats and physical attacks that undermine their ability to do their job […]
Property tycoon Michael Fuchs guilty of contempt after breaching order in divorce dispute
Billionaire property tycoon Michael Fuchs has been found in contempt of court for breaching two orders made by the High Court in March, in a long-running divorce dispute with his former wife, journalist Alvina Collardeau-Fuchs. The application to commit Fuchs to prison for contempt was made by Collardeau, who alleged he had sold US properties […]
Law Society research lays bare shocking scale of threats and abuse against solicitors
Research by the Law Society of England and Wales has laid bare the levels of threats faced by solicitors, with half of those interviewed for the research reporting threats or abuse related to their work in the last 12 months. The survey of 286 Law Society members, carried out in August, revealed ‘an alarmingly high’ […]
LSB seeks feedback on encouraging diversity in legal sector
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has shared new proposals that aim to support equality and diversity in the legal profession and is inviting feedback from across the sector. The proposals would replace existing guidance published in 2017 and amended in 2020, setting out a new framework for regulators to drive consistent improvement across the sector. The consultation – open now until 2 March – […]
Budget may have ‘profound and immediate’ impact on separating couples
The accidental publication of the content of the budget by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) nearly made more headlines than the content of Labour’s much-anticipated budget which threatened fireworks and delivered ‘no return to austerity’ and a promise ‘the wealthiest will contribute the most’ to filling the gap in the public finances. After weeks […]
Domestic abuse-related offences accounted for more than 15% of all crimes recorded by police in the last year
Domestic abuse continues to cast a long shadow across England and Wales said one family law professional as the latest data on the prevalence of domestic abuse in society was revealed in the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. Alarmingly, domestic abuse-related offences accounted for more than 15% of all crimes recorded by police […]
Rebuke for Whitehaven firm that failed to return residual balances for almost 10 years
A Whitehaven firm has been sanctioned for incorrectly retaining residual balances for almost 10 years, with one balance worth over £50,000. Brockbank Curwen Cain & Hall Limited was investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2020, after the firm’s accountants report for the accounting period ending June 2020 was qualified, with one of the qualifications […]
Law Society unveils artwork to honour 200 years of legal service
The Law Society of England and Wales has unveiled the artworks it commissioned to mark 200 years of supporting solicitors, created by celebrated British artist and Turner Prize winner Helen Cammock. ‘A People’s Practice’ is a suite of three art works installed at the Law Society’s Chancery Lane building in London. Each piece invites reflection […]
Number of marriages fall by 9% following decades long downward trend
The number of marriages and civil partnerships fell by just under 9% in the year from 2022 to 2023 according to recently published Office for National Statistics (ONS) data; reflecting an overall trend since the 1970’s in falling numbers, and a reduction since a post-pandemic surge in 2021 and 2022 after couples were forced to […]
Companies House ID changes now in force – what you need to know
Anyone who becomes a company director or person with significant control (PSC) will now have to verify their identity with Companies House. Identity verification is now a compulsory part of incorporation and new appointments for new directors and PSCs. Verification is being phased in over the next 12 months: existing directors must confirm they have […]
Presumption of parental responsibility tested in High Court
In a test case following plans to revoke the automatic right of parental involvement in family proceedings a judge has been asked to determine the future of a three and a half year old child whose mother was killed by her father, In the case of Re A (A Child) (Mother killed by Father) [2025] […]
Legal Aid Agency confirm contingency procedures for November as civil systems launch delayed
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has come under fire from the Law Society after it admitted it wouldn’t hit its target of delivering the next phase of the rollout of the new online system replacing the previous Legal Aid system hacked by criminals earlier this year. In an update published this week relating to submitting […]
Raydens acquisition first foray into family for group best known for PI
St. Albans headquartered Rayden Solicitors (Raydens) has been acquired by Fletchers Group; best know for it serious injury and clinical negligence operations, marking the first time the organisation has ventured into a new area of legal services. Founded in 2005, Raydens has grown to become to the second largest family law firm, behind Stowe Family […]
A vision for family justice
The Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast welcomes Co-founder and Head of Innovation at Family Law Partners and Founder of Nova Alan Larkin on to discuss his vision for family law. Through his career Larkin has championed access to justice, and the evolution of client experience; and the use of technology to support these objectives – work which has […]
SRA ‘proud of AML progress’ ahead of FCA handover, as annual report reveals a third of assessed firms were non-compliant
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has released its Anti-Money Laundering Annual Report for 2024-25, a year in which the organisation says it made significant progress in preventing and detecting money laundering. With the government recently announcing the responsibility for overseeing anti-money laundering regulations will pass to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the SRA’s chief executive […]
Sir Andrew McFarlane to step down as president of the Family Division
President of the family division Sir Andrew McFarlane has indicated he will step down once he has served a six month notice period with a successor likely to be in place before the end of that period. The president make his comments at a parliamentary justice committee meeting on reform in the family courts this […]