Become a #FertilityAmbassador by signing the Fertility Workplace Pledge
A new campaign to improve the rights of employees undergoing fertility treatment has this week been launched in Parliament as part of National Fertility Awareness Week. Here’s all you need to know on how you and your firm can get involved. Fertility treatment affects millions of people from all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. It is […]
Keeley Lengthorn and the Baby Loss Awareness Campaign
In this Today’s Family Lawyer podcast, host David Opie is joined by baby-loss awareness campaigner Keeley Lengthorn. Keeley is a partner at Taylor Rose MW and has spent much of 2022 campaigning for greater baby-loss awareness in UK employment conditions. Keeley tells her own story which tragically involves her own loss and being the first […]
Child’s birth to same-sex couple prompts bureaucratic tangle
You wouldn’t be surprised to hear that, when a same-sex couple have a child following lawful IVF treatment, each of them has a right to be registered as the child’s legal parent. However, as a High Court case showed, whilst the law has generally kept pace with social change, the same cannot always be said […]
How is the cost of living crisis affecting parental support for university children?
Halls have become home, Freshers Week has come to an end and now it’s time for the hard work to start. Another cohort of young people has started its university journey. No one is escaping the current cost of living crisis, including the student population. A staggering number of students are expressing concern about making […]
The Ombudsman’s Corner: 20th October
Release of file as a remedy to resolve a complaint We are often asked by complainants to direct their service provider to release papers to them – either specific documents, or their entire file of papers. There are a number of reasons for this – perhaps the complainant wishes to pursue an appeal or further […]
Should children give evidence in distressing family cases?
Family Judges are always encouraged to listen to the “voice of the child” but at times, this can be highly distressing. Is it right that children should give evidence and be subject to cross-examination? As a High Court ruling showed, the answer to that question requires, in each case, the striking of a delicate balance. […]
How to get paid your true worth in turbulent times
With soaring prices all around You must keep your feet on the ground Getting paid your true worth is absolutely key So you can look after yourself and your family It may be a bit naff but it’s mine. I thought it was a bit of fun with a serious message behind it. For […]
The modern family: Juggling mixed families
There is no denying that modern family life is constantly evolving. The traditional family structure of a married heterosexual couple with 2.4 biological children is not as commonplace as it once was. The “blended” and “cohabiting” family model with children from previous marriages, a rise in second (and sometimes third and fourth) marriages, civil partnerships […]
High Court rules on disadvantageous post-nuptial terms in guideline ruling
Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements that do not fairly meet the “reasonable needs” of one divorcing party or the other are unlikely to be worth the paper they are written on. The High Court made that point in refusing to hold a wife to the disadvantageous terms of one such agreement. The couple’s tempestuous marriage lasted […]
Why has family law arbitration never really taken off?
As the pressure to divert the disputes between separating couples away from the court system to alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as mediation, it is perplexing that there is not more reliance on the arbitration route for couples. It is more cost-effective and gives parties significantly more control over timings, procedure and expenses. So, […]
Cyber attacks in the legal sector
It can’t have escaped your notice the spate of highly publicised cyber attacks hitting the legal sector, Ward Hadaway, The Bar Council and Bar Standards Board and Tuckers have all been crippled making firms sit up and take notice. Types of attacks hitting the legal sector In the world of cybercrime Law firms’ data is […]
What you may not know about the Forced Marriage statistics
At the beginning of August, The Forced Marriage Unit published statistics on the number of cases reported to it in 2021, both via its public helpline, and email. The Forced Marriage Unit advise support those who are in or are potentially likely to find themselves in a forced marriage. They revealed that they received 337 […]
Are family lawyers now subject to the anti-money laundering regime?
The anti-money laundering (“AML”) regime for law firms has now been in place for 20 years, starting with the coming into force of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”) followed by a succession of Money Laundering Regulations (MLR). Over that time the regime has become progressively more detailed and its enforcement stricter, with the […]
Common Law marriage: Myth v reality
As the amount of co-habiting couples and blended families increases so does the misconception that co-habitation creates a “common-law” marriage. In reality, simply co-habiting with a partner, does not automatically provide an individual with the financial protection they may require should tragedy strike. In the event of tragedy, if no Will has been made, whilst […]
Black History Month: Time for action, not words, says Law Society
Legal profession looks to action, not words as it celebrates Black History Month The theme for Black History Month is “Time for Change: Action Not Words,” which will encourage people to improve the future by taking real, lasting action to make the world a better place for Black people. The Law Society is taking action […]
The Ombudsman’s Corner: 29th September 2022
At the Legal Ombudsman, we have recently carried out some research to gain a better understanding of the quality and transparency of online complaints information on service providers’ websites. We wanted to understand how easy it is for customers who potentially want to complain to access information on how to do so from service providers’ […]
Court delays in family law cases: The role of mediation and no-fault divorce
The Family Court remains plagued by backlogs and delay. No doubt Covid played a very significant part in this but as a consequence the commencement, progression and conclusion of cases are taking longer as confirmed by the latest Family Law Statistics published at the end of June 2022. Since the introduction of no-fault divorce on […]
The state of the Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity Insurance Market in 2022
For many firms, solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) is a “set it and forget it”-type of activity. They understand they need coverage, but they’re far from thrilled about the process of scouring providers to find the best deal. That’s especially true when you consider the current professional indemnity insurance market. Surging premiums, an absence of […]
How is the role of fathers changing within family law?
In an ever-changing society where tradition and the norm is increasingly thrown to the wind, the law and its application must change – whether by policy or by convention – to reflect this. One area that has undergone immense change is that of parenthood. While inequalities persist, the dominant ideology has shifted away from one […]
Court makes interim reporting restrictions order in recent family proceedings anonymity case
Although the direction of travel is towards greater transparency in family proceedings, the recent judgment of Mr Justice Mostyn in XZ v YZ [2022] EWFC 49 illustrates that an interim reporting restrictions order is still possible. Such an order might be appropriate where the merits of a reporting restrictions order are not clear without the […]