Women’s Aid ‘disappointed’ to see no mention of domestic abuse in Crime and Policing Bill
Women’s Aid has welcomed the introduction of the previously announced Crime and Policing Bill, which includes the specific aim of tacking Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) but are “disappointed” to see that there is no explicit mention of domestic abuse. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to the UK Parliament on February 25, 2025, […]
First domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms
Delivering on a manifesto commitment, Raneem’s Law has been launched to embed the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms across five forces to ensure that victims of domestic abuse receive more specialist support. West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside Police are all pioneering this new approach to improve the police response to […]
Judge warns against unlawful surrogacy after elderly couple commission birth of twins
The president of the Family Division has issued a stark warning to parents considering unlawful surrogacy abroad, urging them to ‘think again’ following a case involving a couple in their late 60s who commissioned the birth of two babies. In the case of Re Z (Unlawful Foreign Surrogacy: Adoption), Sir Andrew McFarlane ruled on an […]
Success of Family Mediation Week spurs FMC to redouble work to boost mediation’s profile
Family mediators are redoubling efforts to raise the profile of the benefits of their profession, as new figures highlight increased participation in January’s Family Mediation Week. The aggregated figure of 3,770 participants in this year’s series of 17 webinars represents a 19 per cent rise on 2024’s corresponding event, despite there being fewer webinars this […]
LSB confirms appointment of new member of the Legal Services Consumer Panel
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has announced the appointment of Michael Mack to the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP). Michael will take up his appointment from 1st April 2025 for an initial three-year term. Alan Kershaw, Chair of the LSB, said that he would like to congratulate Michael on his appointment. He added: “His experience, […]
Paralegal comes back for Moore
Moore Family Law, Skipton’s specialist legal firm for divorce, mediation and other family law services, is welcoming Georgina Nicolaou back to the practice as a Paralegal. Georgie spent the summer months at the firm before returning to full-time study in the autumn at BPP University Law School in Leeds to complete her training for full […]
Lawyers impatient for firms to invest in technology and innovation – report
LexisNexis® Legal & Professional released a new report – Innovating the client experience: Law firms can offer much more than legal expertise – which reveals a sharp demand from lawyers for greater tech investment. The survey of 800+ UK legal professionals found in-house legal counsel will need their external counsel to be cost-effective (74%), responsive […]
FJG announces family law promotion
Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP (FJG), a East Anglian law firm, has announced the promotion of Joel Vika-Tyson to Associate Solicitor within the firm’s Family Law team, reflecting its commitment to developing talent and delivering exceptional legal support to individuals and families. Based in the firm’s Colchester office, Joel has made significant contributions to the team […]
Maguire Family Law strengthens Manchester presence with new solicitor appointment
Manchester-based Maguire Family Law, a firm specialising in high-net-worth and international family law cases, has expanded its Manchester office team with the appointment of solicitor Ruth Wynn, following a record year of growth. The firm acquired its Manchester office last year to meet rising demand for its bespoke legal services. Since then, it has continued its […]
More than 100 child sexual abuse image crimes being recorded by police every day
Recently published Home Office data revealed police forces across England and Wales recorded 38,685 child sexual abuse image offences last year (2023/24), an average of more than 100 every day. A separate Freedom of Information request the NSPCC submitted showed that of the 7,338 offences last year where law enforcement recorded the platform used by […]
Strong support for law reform on nuptial agreements – poll reveals
A YouGov poll commissioned by law firm Kingsley Napley shows that a majority of the UK public (55%) think pre- and post- nuptial agreements are a good idea in principle, whilst 60% support the idea of law reform so that these agreements are automatically upheld on divorce. Divorcees are most likely to say that pre- […]
Childline research reveals boys are most vulnerable to ‘sextortion’
The latest Childline research has revealed that boys are more than twice as likely as girls to receive help and advice from the service for worries about ‘sextortion’. Sextortion is a form of online blackmail that involves the threat of sharing nude or semi-nude images or videos to extort money or force someone to do […]
Family Court ordered extra financial support for children from 268 unmarried parents last year
The Family Court ordered extra financial support for children from 268 unmarried parents in the year to December 2022, said TWM Solicitors. Under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989, unmarried parents can be required to provide extra financial support for their children, if their standard of living exceeds that of the parent who the […]
Judge warns against unregulated sperm donors after man who fathered 180 children seeks parental rights
A judge has cautioned women against using unregulated sperm donors after an American man, Robert Charles Albon, attempted to claim parental rights over a child to strengthen his bid for British residency, as reported by The Times. Jonathan Furness KC, sitting in Cardiff family court, took the unusual step of publicly identifying Albon, who operates […]
Guidance on new economic crime offence requires careful consideration – The Law Society
The Law Society of England and Wales has responded to the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) consultation on guidance for the new regulatory objective of ‘promoting the prevention and detection of economic crime’ under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (‘The Act’). The Law Society emphasised that careful consideration must be made to the […]
Law Society ‘slams’ SRA proposals to remove client accounts
The Law Society of England and Wales has warned against the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) proposal to move away from client accounts to third-party managed accounts. This forms part of the Law Society’s response to the SRA’s consultation on client money in legal services, which was launched following the collapse of the firm of Axiom […]
One in 10 couples who split over the age of 50 use property wealth to fund the cost of divorce
One in 10 (11%) couples who divorce after the age of 50 use money from their property (e.g. from the sale of a family home or equity release) to fund the cost of their divorce, according to new research from Legal & General . The research, which explored the financial impact of divorce in later-life, […]
Growth of ‘non-traditional’ families prompts lawyers to rethink services
The growing needs of ‘non-traditional’ families has prompted law firm Birketts to launch a Modern Families service to provide legal advice beyond the realms of conventional family law. Birketts will serve the needs of a wide range of individuals through its Modern Families Team, by widening its practice to include specialist advice on fertility treatment, […]
Gen Z embracing traditional milestones Like marriage and parenthood, research reveals
Gen Z are embracing traditional milestones like getting married and having children more than older generations before them, according to new research. A new study from international law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, which sought the views of 4,000 people, found that three quarters (75%) of Gen Z want to get married, whilst 7 in 10 […]
3PB Private Law Family and Financial Remedies conference
Award-winning team with over seventy family law barristers practising across the UK holds third annual Private Law Children and Financial Remedies Conference 3PB is a highly respected family law chambers, with specialist family barristers advising and representing clients throughout the UK and overseas. Their family team, including trained mediators, those with part time judicial appointments, […]