Law firm merger under “house of brands” strategy
A 150-year-old Sussex based firm, Mayo Wynne Baxter (MWB), is the first to join legal and professional services group Ampa under a “house of brands” merger strategy devised to move away from the traditional consolidation merger model. Now labelled as a regional legal anchor brand for the south east, the firm, which offers a range […]
Updates to litigation friend forms
The government has issued updates to its forms for litigation friend referral and appointing a litigation friend where the protected party lacks capacity. Update to litigation friend referral form for Children Act public law cases This form should be used to provide additional information and documents in cases when it is thought that a parent […]
Mishcon de Reya fined for AML failures
London law firm Mishcon de Reya will pay £232,500 over several breaches relating to money laundering rules, it has been announced. The penalty of £232,500 was agreed between the firm and the SRA who said that the fine should equate to 0.25% of the firm’s £155m turnover, minus reductions of 40% for mitigating factors. The […]
Deadline for entries to the British Conveyancing Awards closes midnight tonight
Does your firm have a conveyancing department? The deadline for registration to enter The British Conveyancing Awards, sponsored by Dye & Durham, is upon us. Registration for this years awards will close at midnight on 11th January 2022. There is still time thereafter to submit the final entry which is due on Tuesday 18th January […]
Domestic abuse victims given more time to report assaults
Domestic abuse victims in England and Wales will be given more time to report assaults. The new measures specifically introduced to keep women and girls safer will be added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Government has announced. Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report […]
Legal aid must be restored to reduce family court backlogs, says Law Society
Family court statistics for July to September 2021 show an estimated 63,084 new family cases. “Our concerns about the significant backlogs in the family court pre-date the pandemic. However, the existing problems have been compounded in the last 18 months,” said Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce. “The impact on timeliness […]
Further guidance on E-Bundles issued by Family Court
The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has issued further guidance on E-Bundles for use in the Family Court and Family Division. This guidance supplements the general guidance on electronic bundles for all courts issued by the Senior Presiding Judge, the President of the Family Division and the Judge-in-charge of Live Services on […]
Millennials choose mortgages over marriage
An exclusive survey conducted by the UK’s largest family law firm, Stowe Family Law, reveals that millennials are spending less on weddings and instead prioritising mortgages. The firm’s survey, which polled 500 people across the UK, reveals that 23% of 18-24-year-olds felt that over £25,000 is a sensible wedding budget. Despite this, the amount couples […]
Digital ID checks to be introduced from April
The Government has announced that from 6 April 2022, digital identity document validation technology (IDVT) will be introduced to support employers and landlords with right to work, right to rent and pre-employment DBS checks. The Home Office and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) are working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) […]
Leading surrogacy and LGBTQ+ family lawyer joins BLM
Leading insurance risk and commercial law firm BLM has welcomed one of the UK’s leading surrogacy and reproductive rights specialists, Colin Rogerson, to the firm. Rogerson becomes partner in BLM’s London family law team. Rogerson joins from Dawson Cornwell, having acted as partner for the firm since 2019. With over 12 years’ legal experience, Rogerson […]
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from the team at Today’s Family Lawyer! We hope you all enjoyed the festivities and a well-earned break over the Christmas period. We’d like to take this opportunity, as the New Year edges closer, to thank all of our readers and partners for your continued support in 2021. Wishing you all a […]
Divorce settlement decided for biggest case in British legal history
Former wife of multi-billionaire ruler of Dubai receives more than £500m in divorce settlement. The UK’s High Court has awarded a lump sum settlement of £251.5m to Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain, the 47-year-old former wife of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, prime minister of the UAE. At Tuesday’s hearing the court also awarded payments of […]
SRA receives perfect score in annual LSB review
Following the LSB’s annual review of frontline regulators last month, the SRA has reportedly met all 27 of the required outcomes in its regulatory approach, authorisation, supervision, enforcement and leadership. The results show that the SRA was one of just two organisations that achieved a perfect score in the review and is the second year […]
HMCTS publishes report on remote hearings
A new report detailing the experiences of those involved in remote hearings has been published by HMCTS. The report, conducted by IFF in collaboration my HMCTS documents the experiences of legal professionals, judges, court staff and the public involved in remote hearings between May and October last year, and is expected to determine HMCTS’ approach […]
MOJ responds to rising demand for free legal advice
A new report from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) demonstrates how government funding has maintained and expanded vital access to free specialist legal advice. Through the Covid-19 Specialist Advice Services Scheme (CSASS), £5.4 million was awarded in 2020/21 by the MOJ and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the Law Centres Network and […]
Government launches consultation on outdoor weddings
The Government has launched a consultation on outdoor weddings and civil partnerships. Marrying couples will have greater choice in how they celebrate their big day under government plans to legalise outdoor weddings in England and Wales. Following temporary legislation introduced in July, allowing outdoor civil wedding and partnership ceremonies for the first time, a recently […]
Law Commission to review trial process for sexual offences
The Law Commission has launched a project to review how evidence is used in prosecutions of sexual offences, and to counter misconceptions about sexual harm or “rape myths”. The Law Commission has issued a statement to say that it will review the law, guidance and practice relating to the trial process in prosecutions of sexual […]
MOJ announces plans to reform Human Rights Act
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has announced a three month consultation as it plans to revise The Human Rights Act. The MOJ says that the proposed new legislation aims to strike a proper balance between individuals’ rights, personal responsibility and the wider public interest, which would be achieved while retaining the UK’s commitment to the […]
Legal Ombudsman must take “radical action” says Law Society
The Law Society has issued a statement saying that the Legal Ombudsman service (LeO) must take “radical action” if it wishes to retain the confidence of both public and profession. The Law Society said that changes made this year by the LeO are starting to show some signs of improvement, but the pace of change […]
The impact of divorce and separation on employees – “divorces are made in heaven”
This is an inversion of the cliché phrase ”a marriage made in heaven” to signify the unhappiness that can be experienced in staying in an unhappy marriage, as penned by Oscar Wilde in, The Importance of Being Earnest. Interestingly, Wilde did not actually agree that it was important to be earnest at all and rather […]