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
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
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
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
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,
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,
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Firstly, a disclaimer. I really rather like TOLATA/Schedule 1 etc. cases. Looking at the bookshelf in my office, most of the books I have flexed the plastic on have been in this area too. Also,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Government recently announced plans to extend the storage limit for embryos and gametes (sperm and eggs) from 10 to 55 years for everyone, abolishing the arbitrary differentiation between freezing for health and social reasons.