New partner at The International Family Law Group; Maguire Family Law expands Wilmslow team
Specialist London-based firm The International Family Law Group has appointed Agata Osińska as partner, while Maguire Family Law has expanded its team with two solicitors in its Wilmslow, Cheshire office. Osińska (pictured below), an established children’s and financial remedies practitioner, has been with The International Family Law Group since July 2022 and is a highly […]
Breaking news: CILEX reacts to Mazur appeal win
The Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in CILEX & Ors v Mazur & Ors. Allowing the appeal, Sir Colin Birss, Chancellor of the High Court, said “it is hard to see why this litigation went on as long as it did”. Following the ruling, CILEX chief executive Jennifer Coupland said: “This is the most […]
New legislation will keep siblings connected in care
Children in care will be better supported to build and maintain relationships with their siblings under new measures brought forward in law by the government. All local authorities in England and Wales will be required to promote and facilitate contact for children in care who are separated from their siblings. The change puts sibling contact […]
Shortage of refuge places as demand outstrips supply – Women’s Aid
The latest Family Court Statistics Quarterly for October to December 2025 shows a “concerning” rise in the number of domestic violence remedy orders applied for, up 5% in the final quarter of 2025 compared with Q4 2024. The number of orders made increased by 2% to 9,260 over the same period. There were 36,376 applications […]
Family mediation voucher scheme ‘extended to March 2027’
The Ministry of Justice has committed to extending the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme into 2027, the Family Mediation Council (FMC) has confirmed. In a statement welcoming the news, Helen Anthony, CEO of FMC, said: “The continuation of the successful family mediation voucher scheme is important, as it will ensure that many more families on low […]
Romance fraudster jailed after conning multiple men in £180,000 fraud operation
A woman has been jailed for seven years and seven months after deceiving multiple men out of tens of thousands of pounds over a four year period. Gemma Kingsley, of Beadnell in Northumberland, falsely claimed she was due to receive a multi-million-pound inheritance to manipulate men into funding her lifestyle, leaving a trail of victims […]
Family courts demand up 3% year on year
The number of private law, financial remedy, domestic violence and adoption cases brought before the family courts in the final quarter of 2025 was 4% up on the same quarter in 2024, with 64,336 new cases started. Overall there were 270,474 new cases started in family courts throughout 2025, up 3% from 2024. The numbers […]
LSB outlines plans to strengthen ethical standards but is warned over duplicating regulators’ efforts
The Legal Services Board has outlined how it intends to strengthen lawyers’ ethical standards in a statement of policy which sets out new expectations designed to reinforce lawyers’ role in upholding the rule of law. But while the Law Society has welcomed efforts to continue to maintain high ethical standards, it has raised concerns over […]
Landmark case on parental responsibility: Lessons from the Court of Appeal in Re J, Re M, and Re P (Loss of Responsibility)
The Court of Appeal has handed down its judgment in the landmark case of Re J (Loss of Parental Responsibility), [2026] EWCA Civ 344. The International Family Law Group LLP represents the lead appellant in three conjoined appeals relating to the issue of parental responsibility; this judgment is without doubt a ‘must-read’ for family practitioners […]
Lords Committee publishes call for evidence in Domestic Abuse Act inquiry
The House of Lords Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee has published a call for evidence in its inquiry considering the effective operation of the act and whether it is meeting its policy objectives. The committee is keen to hear from a diverse range of individuals and organisations on topics including: The extent to which the […]
Government sets out expectations for tech providers in halving VAWG
Liz Kendall, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, has written to online service providers setting out the government’s expectations of the providers’ role in halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. In the open letter, Kendall sets out the steps the government expects the providers to take, including conducting risk assessments […]
LeO seeks input on draft complaints procedure
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has launched a call for input on its draft Model Complaints Resolution Procedure (MCRP), a new framework aimed at improving the consistency and quality of how complaints are handled by legal service providers. “Effective complaints handling is fundamental to trust and confidence in legal services,” the LeO said. “However, our insight from more […]
New Law Society guide informs solicitors of AI risks
The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a new practical guide to help solicitors make safer, more informed technology decisions and warns that unsafe AI adoption may expose firms to risks. The majority of firms and solicitors now use AI for routine legal practice tasks such as drafting documents and analysing case material, […]
Law Society president Mark Evans to lead LawCare’s London marathon team
Law Society president Mark Evans is raising funds and awareness for mental health in the legal sector at the TCS London Marathon in April. Evans will run the marathon alongside solicitors Kayleigh Wilding and Matt Ottley, all of whom are taking on the task to highlight the pressures many people working in law face and […]
High Court to decide whether home on aristocrat’s family estate forms part of ex-wife’s £1.2m trust
An aristocrat is engaged in a complex High Court battle to prevent trustees of his ex-wife’s £1.2 million income fund from selling a cottage on his family’s 11th century rural estate in Somerset. Sir Benjamin Slade, 7th Baronet of Maunsel, was married to Lady Pauline Slade for 12 years before their divorce in 1994. As […]
Three hours a day spent on non-billable tasks, report finds
UK legal professionals spend nearly three hours a day on non-billable tasks, according to a new industry report. Profitability in Law: Global Report 2026, commissioned by LEAP Legal Software, surveyed around 700 legal professionals across six countries and found the equivalent of 88 full working days (17.5 weeks) a year are not charged for. Despite […]
One in five law firm partners may quit in next three years, survey finds
One in five partners are considering leaving their employers within the next few years, a survey across the UK Top 250 law firms suggests, as assumptions that being made partner meant you had a job for life no longer ring true. According to research by TBD Marketing, one fifth (21%) of the 160 law firm […]
Interest in law jobs ‘drops by a third’
Interest in law-related jobs has dropped by a third over the past year, recruitment website data suggests. The number of jobseekers pursuing legal roles fell by 32.9% between January 2026 and 2025, according to Indeed Hiring Insights data analysed by Witan Solicitors. Despite continued demand from employers, the number of jobseekers per vacancy dropped by […]
Court of Appeal rules on ‘extraordinary’ Copinger-Symes case
The Court of Appeal has ruled on the case of the former manager of the rock band INXS and her £14 million legal battle with her ex-husband and multimillionaire mother, in a case described as “extraordinary” by family professionals. The former European manager of 80’s band INXS, Maria-Christina Copinger-Symes, an estranged member of a hugely […]
Pathfinder courts to be rolled out across England and Wales
Following extensive trials, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced Pathfinder courts will be rolled out across England and Wales with £17 million in government funding for the next financial year. The name of the courts will be updated to Child Focused Courts. Deputy prime minister and justice secretary David Lammy made the announcement this […]