Family lawyers must “challenge” themselves amidst desire for amicable divorces
Family law firm, Simpson Millar, has launched a new single lawyer divorce service, “Separating Together”. The firm says the profession needs to “challenge itself” to better meet the needs of consumers amidst growing demand for a more amicable solution to separation and divorce. The call to action comes in the run up to the […]
MOJ litigants in person grant has supported 10,000 people
A new report from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) details the outcome of support made available by the Litigants in Person Grant. In April 2020, the Access to Justice Foundation and MOJ launched the Legal Support for Litigants in Person (LSLIP) Grant, a 2-year programme funding a range of earlier intervention services for litigants in […]
New report sets out best practice for e-signatures
The expert Industry Working Group on Electronic Execution of Documents has published their interim report, which sets out analysis of the current situation in England and Wales, identifies simple best practice guidance based on existing technology (including for vulnerable individuals), and makes recommendations for future analysis and reform. The Industry Working Group was convened following […]
Making “alternative” dispute resolution the norm
Dispute resolution is a fundamental part of a family lawyer’s job. The old acronym of ADR no longer rings true. Dispute resolution should not be “alternative” – it should be the focus for family law practitioners, with a court application one of last resort, rather than a first step in seeking to resolve a dispute. […]
Is your digital ID provider certified?
Following announcements that digital ID checks are to be introduced from April, the Digital Identity Systems Certification (DISC) service has confirmed that “expressions of interest” in becoming certified under the Digital Identity Trust Framework and Right to Work/Right to Rent and CRB criteria are now being taken. The service says it is having conversations with […]
SQE exam results reveal concerning diversity gap
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published its first ever results for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – the SQE1. The results show that 53% of candidates passed but concerns have been raised over the disparity of pass rates between white and Black, Asian and minority ethnic students. Introduced to provide assurance that all qualifying […]
LawCare hits milestone number of people helped
Legal mental health charity LawCare has published its 2021 impact report, detailing the support it gave to the legal sector last year. The charity, which was initially set up to help solicitors with alcohol problems, has now grown to support everyone working in the legal profession on a range of issues from stress to bullying […]
Prosecutions for Child Sexual Abuse have more than halved in 4 years
Newly published research conducted by the NSPCC reveals that child sexual abuse (CSA) prosecutions and convictions are falling, and young people are facing increasingly long and distressing court delays. Following a freedom of information request, the NSPCC discovered that prosecutions for CSA in England and Wales have more than halved from 6,394 in 2016/17 to 3,025 in […]
New laws proposed to strengthen the UK’s resilience from cyber attack
Government is consulting on new measures to boost British businesses’ cyber security after recent high profile attacks. New laws are needed to drive up security standards in outsourced IT services used by almost all UK businesses, the government says. Other proposals being published include making improvements in the way organisations report cyber security incidents and […]
Scam HMRC call reports drop by 97%
Reports of scam HMRC phone calls have fallen by 97% over the last 12 months, latest HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show, which display a downward trend in reports overall throughout the past year. Reports of scammers impersonating HMRC in phone calls peaked at 79,477 in March 2021 and fell to just 2,491 in December 2021. The fall […]
Government extends the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme with further £1.2 million investment
Last March, the government launched a Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, with an initial investment of £1 million. This week, they announced a second funding boost for the continuation of the scheme, following a cash injection last October. The vouchers, which are worth £500 towards the cost of mediation, were introduced as an incentive for separating […]
Pharmacies adopt government scheme to help domestic abuse victims
The Home Office-backed scheme “Ask for ANI” is now operating in over half of all UK pharmacies including independents and chains such as Boots and Superdrug. On the first anniversary of its launch, the Home Secretary Priti Patel has applauded the success of the innovative scheme which enables those at risk or suffering from domestic […]
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill advances to third reading
The Public Bill Committee has reportedly completed work related to the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill and has confirmed the Bill is without amendments to the House of Commons. The Bill, which proposes to increase the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership from 16 to 18, is now due to have its […]
Family mediation scheme to help thousands more parents
Thousands more separating parents will avoid stressful courtroom battles as the Government boosts its landmark family mediation scheme with an additional £1.3 million. The extra investment is expected to help more families resolve disputes away from court, such as those involving financial or contact arrangements for children and takes investment in the initiative to more […]
Legal consultancy: the firms of the future?
Today’s Family Lawyer recently spoke to Adrian Jaggard, CEO of Taylor Rose MW, one of the top four firms in the UK currently operating the consultancy model, about how consultancy works and how much of an impact this new breed of firm might have on the industry. A report published last year by Arden Partners […]
Start the year amicably – how to help your clients to divorce amicably
The beginning of the year always brings with it enquiries in relation to relationship breakdowns. The end of the old year is often a period of reflection and the New Year an opportunity for change. No one wants conflict and acrimony when they are working through all the changes that the end of a marriage […]
Parallel parenting
As family lawyers, we often use the term co-parenting but what about those high conflict cases when this is just not possible? This is where parallel parenting comes in. Why not simply co-parent? Particularly in high conflict intractable parental disputes, there may be a desire for either the father or the mother to oust the […]
McFarlane calls for increased transparency in family justice system
Following a transparency review in family proceedings conducted last October, president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has told MPs that greater transparency is needed to instil public confidence. Addressing MPs McFarlane said that although greater transparency is needed, it will be “difficult” saying that striking the balance between allowing openness and maintaining anonymity […]
“Family Mediation Week” 17th-21st January
The Family Mediation Council (FMC)’s “Family Mediation Week”, will take place between 17th and 21st January 2022, to raise awareness of the benefits of family mediation and how it can help separating families manage their issues productively and collaboratively. Organised by the FMC with support from Resolution, Family Mediation Week aims to: “let more people know […]
Busy “Divorce Day” expected for family lawyers
Today is the first working Monday of January, also known as “divorce day” amongst family lawyers, and one of the busiest times for firms across the country as they prepare for a surge of enquiries following the festive period. This year is expected to be much busier however, as lawyers expect an increase in separating […]