Covert tracking leads to court intervention in children’s foster care case
Two parents were told they were damaging their own efforts to have their children returned to them after planting covert tracking devices into their children’s bag and toys while they were in foster care. The case of RE BM (Children: Tracking Devices) centred on the discovery of tracking devices hidden inside a bag and toys […]
Reduced private law sitting days creates ‘uncertainty’ as opportunities for FDR cut
Family professionals have been left ‘extremely concerned’ by the news there will be significant cuts to the number sitting days in the London Financial Remedies Court, reducing the number of opportunities for financial remedies proceedings. Speaking this week, the president of the family division, Sir Andrew McFarlane said judicial resources will be cut due to […]
SILAS user registration and get started guides launched
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has begun publishing user guides and frequently asked questions for its new portal ‘Signing into Legal Aid Services’ (SILAS) developed in the wake of the cyber attack which rendered the agency’s portal unusable. A new ‘LAA SILAS Help and Information‘ has been published on gov.uk which currently hosts the information. […]
No change without ‘comprehensive investment’ – Reaction to Public Accounts Committee report into family courts
There will be no improvements to family court services without ‘comprehensive investment’ said Bar Council Chair Barbara Mills KC in response to the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) report ‘Improving family court services for children.’ Published last week, the report said children and families were being ‘let down’ by what were described as ‘unacceptably long’ delays […]
Bullying report a ‘moment of reckoning’ for the Bar
The report in to bullying and harassment within the Bar has concluded 36 recommendations to tackle what is described as a ‘culture of impunity’ by Baroness Harriet Harman KC, the report’s author. The review was commissioned in October 2024 in the wake of research data from the Bar Council’s biennial survey of the profession, Barristers’ […]
Child abduction case a reminder of courts’ adherence to Hague Convention
UK courts will adhere ‘strictly’ to the Hague Convention in abduction cases warns a family solicitor after an unusual case saw a child returned to a country in which the parents only had temporary residence under a visa. YM v ML [2025] EWHC 2219 (Fam) involved British nationals who had secured work in Australia and […]
39% of lawyers say not engaging with AI could harm their future careers
Nearly two thirds of lawyers are now using artificial intelligence to support the in their roles; but appear to be doing it off their own back with 17% of lawyers saying their firm has a ‘fully embedded’ AI strategy and operation, and two-thirds reporting their organisation’s AI culture is slow or non-existent. Adoption is up […]
Vulnerable the target of fake scams – FCA
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned scammers continue to target those most vulnerable in society and those over the age of 56 according to recently released numbers from the regulator. The warning comes as almost 5,000 fake FCA scams have been reported in the first half of 2025; with scenarios seeing fraudsters impersonate the […]
New measures to tackle ‘honour-based’ abuse
New statutory guidance and a legal definition of ‘honour’-based abuse is to be introduced to provide greater protection for victims say the government. 2,755 ‘honour’-based abuse related offences were recorded by the police in England and Wales according to recently published statistics; including ‘honour’-motivated killings, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage. A new definition […]
Tickets available for fourth annual Domestic Abuse Conference
The fourth year of a conference considering the impact of domestic abuse on family law practitioners and professionals from across the family community will return for its fourth year in Bristol. Watkins Solicitors is to hosted its annual Domestic Abuse Conference on Friday 7th November at the Watershed, Bristol with tickets on sale now. The […]
HMCTS IT bug could have caused documents to go missing or appear lost
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has acknowledged a ‘bug’ in its software used to manage civil, family and tribunal courts could have resulted evidence going missing, being overwritten or appearing to be lost. The agency has been accused of a ‘cover up’ over the system failure which a leaked report claims took ‘several years’ […]
Father sentenced to 6 months’ prison for ‘deliberate and persistent’ breaches of court orders
A high court ruling, heard by Mrs Justice Lieven DBE, has sentenced a father to six months in prison for repeated breaches of court orders relating to the abduction and continued retention of his daughter in Iran. The case, AA (Mother) v XX (Father) [2025] EWHC 2165 (Fam) began with the father, XX, an Iranian […]
Cohabitees to be unfairly impacted by inclusion of pensions in estates for IHT
The value of future inheritance planning has been outlined by wealth manager and financial advisers Quilter who estimate a working-age single homeowner in England with an average-priced home and ‘moderate’ pension pot could be liable for over £82,000 in inheritance tax (IHT) once the current proposals to include pension savings within an estate for IHT […]
Mystery surrounds claims to LAA hack as ransom deadline comes and goes
A group of cyber hackers who claim to be responsible for the attack on the Legal Aid Agency has threatened to publish the data gathered through the cyber attack unless one of their members is ‘freed’. First reported in The Times, the group, which calls itself the ShinyHunters, has publicly claimed credit for the attack […]
£15m divorce case a warning to those who might wish to conceal assets
A sham trust hid significant assets a High Court ruling has found resulting in an award worth £15m being transferred from an ex husband to his wife. Mario Michael was a prolific property investor and developer in North London who had an interest in over 200 properties. Divorce proceedings against Mr Michael were commenced by […]
Bigamist’s estate to be split between ‘former’ and ‘current’ spouse after high court claim
A man who was legally married to his previous partner and married a second is at the centre of an inheritance dispute following his death from cancer in 2020. Accountant James Dinsdale’s £1.8m estate is the subject of a high court battle between his ‘current; wife, beautician Margaret Dinsdale and his ‘previous wife Dr Victoria […]
SRA awards £360,000 for disadvantaged candidates to take SQE
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has awarded £360,000 to 11 organisations to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The organisations provide a range of legal, educational and social mobility services across England and Wales, ranging from making the legal industry more accessible to people from underrepresented […]
46 words costs couple £37,000 in contested financial remedy case
A contested private financial remedy cost a couple £37,000 over just 46 words in a decision over whether a husband was entitled to refer to events which took place at a private FDR. In a contested financial remedy, Justice Peel considered the case of BC v BC [2025] EWFC 236 following contested financial remedy proceedings […]
Rise in grandparents caught up in children’s disputes
An Edinburgh-based charity has helped more than 250 grandparents who have sought information and help over the last nine years over alienation from their grandchildren. A review of the Shared Parenting Scotland database has revealed the charity has helped grandparents with information on behalf of their son or daughter whose relationship has broken down and […]
Charity launches training to help family professionals better understand coercive control and abuse
A charity based in Sheffield has launched a CPD-certified training programme for legal professionals to help with better understanding impact of coercive control and post-separation abuse. Charity Mums In Need offers long-term, trauma-informed support to mothers experiencing post-separation abuse. The newly launched training, entitled ‘Confronting Coercive Control and Post-Separation Abuse’ is tailored to legal professionals, […]