Finalists Announced For National Paralegal Awards
The Professional Paralegal Register have announced the finalists for the prestigious National Paralegal Awards, which will be taking place on Friday 27th March 2020. Karen Babington, Director at the Practical Vision Network, was selected as a judge for the awards, and helped whittle down the nominees list. The finalists are from 16 individual and business […]
Overwhelming Public Support For Legal Aid
On the anniversary of the government’s review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), a Law Society survey has shown an overwhelming public support of legal aid. Funding for domestic abuse cases and unfair police treatment received the highest public backing. The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Law Society and the […]
Resolution Carry Out New Members Diversity Survey
For the first time Resolution have revealed what makes up their members in a new diversity survey. The report presents a snapshot of the first diversity survey taken by Resolution’s members where over 3,000 of its 6,500 members responded to the survey. The objectives of undertaking the extensive survey was to monitor its members for […]
Resolution Shows Its Support For Divorce Bill Ahead Of Second Reading
Resolution lends its support to the Divorce Bill in a parliamentary briefing, ahead of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords today, the 5th February. Resolution, representing 6,500 family justice professionals, has thrown its support behind the Bill, stating that it “will help thousands of divorcing couples minimise conflict, in turn reducing the […]
Parliamentary Briefing Issued By Law Society On No-Fault Divorce
The Law Society has published its Parliamentary briefing on the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill, more commonly known as the Divorce Bill. Giving its ‘unequivocal support in the introduction to the Divorce Bill, welcoming the introduction of the no-fault divorce. Throughout discussions on the subject, the Law Society has always been ‘vocal’ in its support. […]
Fire Results In Closure Of 114 Chancery Lane
On Saturday 1st February 2020, a fire broke out at the Law Society of England and Wales’s headquarters on 113 and 114 Chancery Lane in central London. 25 fire engines and around 150 firefighters were called to deal with the fire which saw the building’s roof and parts of the third, fourth and fifth floors, […]
The Fastest Divorce Law In The World?
England is about to pass into law what will be, for recipients of a divorce petition, probably the fastest divorce anywhere in the world. The respondent may have just over six weeks’ notice from receipt, service, to the date of the final divorce decree. It will leave the recipient with almost no time to come […]
St John’s Building Welcomes Specialist In Children And Family Law
St John’s Buildings has welcomed barrister Andrew Mountain into its family law team. Specialising as a solicitor in family law for 35 years, Andrew Mountain transferred to the Bar in 2019 and has joined St John’s Buildings to continue his career. Recognised as one of the top family and children law lawyers in the country, […]
Calls For Adoption To Be Prioritised And Policies Reviewed
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has urged councils to prioritise finding vulnerable young people a stable, loving home. Calling on council to not ‘shy away from putting children forward for adoption’, Williamson has asked them to review their practices following the drop in numbers of assessments that would recommend a vulnerable child be adopted. As well […]
Recommendation For Training For Judges In Sexual Assault Cases
Following a judge’s “outdated views” on the definition of rape, a High Court Judge has called for family court judges to receive training on the “appropriate” ways to handle rape cases. It emerged earlier this month that a mother had lost her case to deny her former partner access to their son, stating he had […]
UK’s Largest Legal Report Shines Light On Sector
Two thirds (64%) of UK adults have faced a legal issues over the past four years with over half (53%) of issues considered contentious. According to a joint report commissioned by The Law Society and The Legal Services Board, the main reasons people sought legal advice between 2016 and the end of 2019 were defective […]
Future Music Income Exempt From Financial Remedy Agreement
A Judge has rejected that future earnings from a husband’s band tour should be classed as a matrimonial asset susceptible to being shared in their financial remedy claim. Considering the case of a base player in a ‘well known band’, Mostyn J had to rely on expert advice to assess the total income from five […]
Impostor Syndrome: How to Overcome Feeling like a Fraud
I finished my training contract on a Friday, and on Monday morning I started a new role as a qualified solicitor. I was excited about my future career and I felt like I had ‘made it’. Very quickly I began to feel out of my depth, doubts started to creep into my mind – who […]
LSB Launch Legal Professional Competency Consultation
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched a call for evidence to examine how regulators should ensure the law firms and the legal service providers they regulate remain competent and up to date with changes to the legal sector. The LSB is looking for respondents to consider four main themes when making their comments. Firstly, […]
Stowe Family Law’s Managing Partner Shares Her Industry Wisdom
As Managing Partner of Stowe Family Law, Rachel Roberts successfully juggles work and life as she is kept busy leading a large team of ten professional family lawyers while keeping her young twins entertained outside work. Known as “a breath of fresh air with a realistic, no-nonsense appraisal of cases and a great client manner”, […]
An Amicable Financial Settlement
Non-lawyer preparation of a consent order The extent to which a non-lawyer (called ‘amicable’ – all lower case) can help a couple jointly to prepare and file a financial consent order application has been explained by Mostyn J in JK v MK & Anor [2020] EWFC 2 (20 January 2020). But can this model work […]
Join Today’s Family Lawyer First Roundtable Next Month!
Do you want to meet with like-minded peers to discuss changes and opportunities in the family law industry? After the amazing success of the launch of Today’s Family Lawyer in 2019 and extremely positive response received from legal professionals across the family law industry, we are excited to announce our first family law Roundtable on […]
Government Survey To Help Tackle Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has called for victims of sexual harassment to share their stories in an aim to strengthen protections for employees from sexual harassment. The survey, one of the largest of its kind, will go out to over 12,000 people and help build a picture of how many people are affected by […]
New Law Will Bring Some Relief To Grieving Parents
A new bereavement law has been introduced, that will allow parents who have lost a child the opportunity to grieve, without the worry of work or finances, for two weeks. Under current UK rules, parents who have lost a child have no automatic right to paid leave. Although many companies will have a bereavement policy, […]
Tens Of Thousands Apply To Divorce Online
Over 70,000 people have applied to divorce online, according to information from HM Courts and Tribunal Services (HMCTS) given to Tony Roe, a consultant at Penningtons Manches Cooper in Reading. Following the president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane’s, revelation on the HMCTS reform program, Roe contacted HMCTS for figures. In McFarlane’s ‘December’s View […]