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 […]
Chambers launches breast-feeding policy to support mothers returning to work
A family law barrister chambers has launched what it says is the Bar’s first ever Breastfeeding Policy to support mothers returning to work. The policy not only sets out practical and proactive solutions for breastfeeding mothers, but also encourages better understanding across the organisation on how to support breastfeeding colleagues. 4PB say mothers remain stigmatised […]
Decision to remove automatic assumption of parental involvement ‘momentous’ say campaigners
Campaigners have described the decision to remove the legal presumption of parental involvement in child contact cases in family courts as ‘momentous’ after amendments proposals to repeal presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989 The decision to remove the presumption comes after the Government’s own Harm Panel found that it was not fit […]
Survivors face ‘uphill struggle for justice’ – Law Society responds to Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report
The Law Society of England and Wales has responded to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report into the way domestic abuse is dealt with in the family justice system. ‘Everyday business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism’ takes aim at the legal profession, saying outdated and ‘antiquated’ views […]
Co-habitation trends strengthens the case for reform say family lawyers
Population trend figures published the Office for National Statistics only serve to strengthen the case for cohabitation reform say family lawyers, with declining marriage and divorce rates and an increase in the proportion of couples co-habiting. The latest figures show 60.5% of the population in England and Wales in 2024 aged 16 or over are […]
New tools to encourage family disputes to avoid courts launched by MoJ
A public/private partnership has developed an online tool to support changing attitudes toward ‘destructive legal battles’ and encourage families to resolve their issues earlier and outside of court, where it is appropriate and safe to do so. The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE), part of the Home Office, seeks to solve ‘public safety and security challenges […]
Government consider move to regulate officiants rather than buildings in weddings shake up
Changes to the regulation of weddings away from buildings and onto individuals and officiants running the ceremony could be introduced in what the government is describing as the ‘biggest overhaul to marriage law since the 19th century.’ The proposals are based on the work of the Law Commission, whose report ‘Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings […]
Social media firms could be fined up to 10% of worldwide revenue if they do not tackle cyber-flashing
Cyber-flashing could become a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act with social media platforms and dating apps to be required to take proactive steps to prevent users from seeing unsolicited nude images Cyber-flashing joins doctored sexually explicit images of adults called ‘deepfakes’, and encouraging or assisting serious self-harm as ‘priority offences’ in updates to […]
Criminal court sitting days to hit record levels to tackle up to four year wait
The justice system is to benefit from an additional 1,250 Crown Court sitting days as part of plans to tackle the courts backlog. The additional capacity means the Crown Court will be able to sit for a total of 111,250 days this year; up by 5,000 compared to last year and reaching the highest levels […]
50% reduction in number of legal aid funded family mediators
There has been a 50% fall in the number of family mediators offering legal aid since 2018 meaning it is ‘increasingly difficult for the public to access legal aid for family mediation’ according to a new report from the Family Mediation Council published as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations. The report goes on to […]
At least one person unrepresented in 80% of private family law proceedings
The continued impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which resulted in the removal of eligibility for legal aid for the majority of private law cases in April 2013, has been laid bare by research from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) which shows in 80% of cases at least […]
“Shambolic” courts infrastructure laid bare in Law Society report
Solicitors have heavily criticised the courts infrastructure in a damning new report by the Law Society of England and Wales describing the condition of court buildings as ‘shambolic’ with many in poor states of repair, technology which regularly fails, and inadequate facilities, particularly for disabled users. Asbestos, mould, dilapidated toilets, and issues with Reinforced Autoclaved […]