Cyber crime risks posed by ‘sharenting’ as 45% share details of their children online
45% of parents share details of their children online, known as ‘sharenting’, and overestimate the effectiveness of privacy settings, leaving them and their children vulnerable to cyber crime. The warning come from the University of Southampton as thousands of back-to-school pictures of children are shared through social media platforms. Researchers have conducted the first study […]
Calls for national effort to digitise adoption records or risk losing them in devolution
Campaigners are calling for the urgent digitisation of adoption records in England as a television programme to on ITV has highlighted the scandal of mothers who were forced to put their children up for adoption from the 1940’s to the 1980’s. Many are still unable to locate parents and children and campaigners are still waiting […]
Ofqual-accredited level 5 diploma launched for paralegals
A new Ofqual-accredited paralegal qualification has been launched by The National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP). The Diploma for Senior Associate Paralegals is the first Ofqual regulated Level 5 paralegal qualification and joins NALP’s suite of Ofqual regulated paralegal qualifications including Level 3 Certificate for Paralegal technicians, Level 4 Certificate for Associate Paralegals, and the […]
LAA hackers could have targeted British retailers including M&S
The group suspected of hacking the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) may also have been responsible for the cyber attack on Marks & Spencers (M&S) according to retail trade press. Retail Gazette says the Scattered Spider group, which has been linked to cyber attacks on British retailers this year, could have been working with the Shiny […]
Leading surrogacy campaigner joins International Family Law Group
A leading surrogacy lawyer has joined The International Family Law Group LLP (IFLG) as a Partner with a further Partnership announcement to be announced in the coming weeks. . Natalie Sutherland joins from boutique family practice Burgess Mee with her appointment described as an important expansion of IFLG’s modern families and fertility law practice. The […]
Public consultation launched into updated Allocation and Gatekeeping Guidance
HM Courts and Tribunals service are seeking feedback from the family law community on updated guidance related to the allocation of work to magistrates. A review of the existing Allocation and Gatekeeping Guidance was commissioned in February 2024 to consider how the guidance could be updated to better reflect changes in family law since it […]
Higgs strikes private equity deal with view to expansion
Midlands law firm Higgs has secured backing from August Equity, making it the first legal firm in the investor’s 48-strong portfolio. The Dudley-based firm, established in the Black Country in 1875, has 28 partners, 250 employees and a reported turnover of £20 million in the year to November 2023. Last year, Higgs acquired insolvency boutique […]
All change at Cumbria law firm as Managing Partner retires after decade at the helm
Cumbria-based Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has announced Managing Director Peter Stafford will retire at the end of September, concluding more than 25 years with the firm and a decade as Managing Partner. Stafford will be succeeded by Joanne Stronach, currently a Director and Head of Employment and HR at Cartmell Shepherd. Her appointment has received the […]
Recruitment news: Family lawyers on the move
Several leading family law firms across the UK have announced significant developments, strengthening their teams and expanding services to better support clients navigating complex family matters. Ellisons Solicitors has enhanced its offering for separating couples in Essex and Suffolk with the introduction of Resolution Together. Legal Director Anna Cross has qualified to deliver the service, […]
Strangulation and suffocation on the increase amongst younger people say Refuge
Physical and psychological abuse in relationships amongst younger people is reported to be on the increase according to new data by support services provider Refuge. In what is described as a ‘disturbing rise in domestic abuse among young women and girls aged 16 – 25’, Refuge say both threats to harm and threats to kill […]
No holiday for AML enforcement as SRA shares details of penalties totalling £275,000 in July
Decisions shared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in July reveal 13 firms have been fined a total of £275,170 for AML breaches dating back to 2011 – with one firm fined £114,006. Amphlett Lissimore Bagshaws in London received the hefty sanction for failing to implement adequate policies, controls and procedures (PCPs) and failing to conduct […]
Law firm Bell Lamb & Joynson passes £5m milestone in record-breaking year
North-west law firm Bell Lamb & Joynson is celebrating a record-breaking financial year, with turnover from client fees rising by 17.79% to reach £5.2 million – the first time in the firm’s 200 year history that it’s surpassed the £5 million mark. The successful year has also seen the firm expand its team by a […]
Covid KC to speak at LawShare Conference 2025
The annual LawShare conference returns to the 5 star Lowry Hotel in Manchester on Thursday the 9th of October covering pertinent issues surrounding the running of a law firm. The conference has welcomes a variety of speakers in previous years including Law Society Gazette Deputy News Editor John Hyde, and Shaun Wallace, known as “The […]
Lawyer’s charity for disadvantaged young people provides uniforms and resources for Year 7 pupils
A charity founded by a lawyer to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is providing ‘welcome packs’ for new Year 7 pupils, including uniform vouchers, stationery, a school bag and other academic resources. The Be the Ladder Foundation was launched last year by Trevor Sterling, a senior partner at south of England law firm Moore […]
Consultant firm sees five-fold increase in headcount over last five years
Against a backdrop of employees being encouraged back into the office according to the latest KPMG CEO Report, a consultant-style law firm has reported a five fold increase in the number of consultant solicitors in the last five years AIIC Group (AIIC), the legal group behind Taylor Rose, FDR Law and Kingsley Wood, says it […]
Court emphasises principle of transparency in latest nuptial decisions
Recent court judgements on nuptial agreements have placed an emphasis on the importance of transparency and independent legal advice when it comes to the court’s ability to enforce them; with the latest Court of Appeal decision Jenny Alzena Helliwell v Simon Graham Entwistle [2025] EWCA Civ 1055 a further example. The case concerns an appeal […]
Solicitor struck off for ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance’ with AML regulations
A solicitor has been struck off and ordered to pay costs of £29,775.84 for multiple breaches of Money Laundering Regulations that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said represented ‘widespread and fundamental non-compliance with critical regulations’ amounting to systemic failures. The judgment was issued against William Joseph Harris following an application by the Solicitors Regulation Authority detailing […]
Highest rates of divorce in seaside towns according to research
Data from the recently published Office for National Statistics legal partnership status report has revealed the areas with the highest divorce rates in the UK. The analysis, which has been conducted by Reiss Edwards Family Law, has identified Norwich as the area with the highest divorce rate in England, where more than one in five […]
Honorary doctorate for innovator dedicated to family law and access to justice
A family law professional has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Brighton recognising their ‘significant and sustained impact on the legal profession and a commitment to making the justice system more accessible for all.’ Co-founder of Family Law Partners Alan Larkin has spent much of his career helping shape a more progressive, collaborative […]
More cohabitation, fewer marriages, and more older people live alone
There are fewer marriages, more families choosing to cohabit, and more people who live alone in retirement according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ‘Families and households in the UK: 2024’ report provides estimates of families and household types, including people living alone in the UK in 2024. The numbers […]