Down's syndrome abortion appeal

A woman with Down’s Syndrome has lost her appeal after seeking to overturn legislation which allows abortions for fetuses who have the condition. Heidi Crowter, 27, appealed a judgment on the grounds that abortion is

Women's aid world cup

Organisation states event causes cases to increase due to increased alcohol consumption and high levels of emotion As part of Women’s Aid’s Come Together to End Domestic Abuse campaign, the charity is asking everyone to

children seeking mental health services

Local Government Association calls for more provisions to be given to councils to handle epidemic The amount of children recommended for mental health support has risen from 57,410 in 2018, to 87,750 this year –

Lord chief justice announces plans to step down

Longest reigning chief justice since 1992 confirms intention to step down next year The lord chief justice of England and Wales has announced plans to step down from his post next year. It was announced

Domestic abuse cost of living

Charities report higher number of cases with fewer resources to help victims Domestic abuse charities across the UK are voicing their concerns regarding the ongoing cost of living crisis and how this is adversely affecting

specialised economic crime courts

Measures proposed to target fraud and provide greater justice for victims A committee of MPs called for the government to help introduce specialised economic crime courts in order to counteract an “epidemic” of fraud cases

justice spending cuts will "lead to system failure"

The Vice-President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Nick Emmerson, has warned that the cuts in justice spending announced as part of the autumn statement yesterday, will “likely lead to system failure”. Here’s

Child First youth justice system

Claudia Sturt, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), looks at the YJB’s activity over the past year. We published our Annual Report and Accounts for 2021 to 2022. This was my first annual

new Cornwall office

As part of ongoing expansion plans The Family Law Company has opened its first office in Cornwall in the heart of Truro. This is the fourth office for the firm, which has two longstanding offices

SRA sets out new approach to financial penalties

Safeguards proposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to increase the transparency and accountability of its enforcement processes do not go far enough, the Law Society of England and Wales have said. Lubna Shuja, President

couples’ finances at risk due to no-fault divorces

Analysis shows decline in financial order applications, despite record divorce applications Family court statistics released earlier this year by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have shown that 31% fewer financial order applications have been made,

Houses of Parliament

The Public Services Committee in the House of Lords has called on the government to urgently publish implementation strategy to address plight of vulnerable children. In a letter sent on the 27th October to the

abuse in residential homes for disabled children

Review calls for immediate action from local authorities and OFSTED after serious failings revealed A national review into the implementation of safeguarding procedures has revealed serious failures at special schools for children with disabilities and

Raab's Bill of Rights

Reappointed Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab’s Bill of Rights Bill is set to be reintroduced for parliamentary consideration under Rishi Sunak, according to reports, after previous prime minister Liz Truss scrapped its launch. Raab initially introduced

Hall Brown hires

Hall Brown hires new solicitor and two new paralegals Hall Brown Family Law has further increased the size of their Family Law team by recruiting three new members of staff. Hannah Pilling has joined as

legal sector AML rules

A campaign group has formed a report claiming that law firms are continually abusing and showing “significant levels of non-compliance” with anti-money laundering rules. Spotlight on Corruption are a campaign group who have published a

legislation to protect pregnant women

New law provides greater security for pregnant women and parents from losing their jobs Pregnant women and new parents have finally been granted greater protections from redundancy under new legislation which waited government approval for

Lawrence Stephens expands Family team

Lawrence Stephens expands Family team with four senior hires Lawrence Stephens law firm has announced a considerable expansion to its Private Client division, with four senior hires within the Family Practice area. A new Head

Council moves abuser's relative

Complaint against local council upheld for causing “confusion and injustice” A mother who faced domestic abuse was left shocked after her local council moved their abuser’s relative onto the same street as them. Bristol City

hybrid working affecting retirement plans

Report claims some workers will work past retirement age as “they don’t need to go into the workplace as often” As hybrid working became increasingly common during the pandemic, research has revealed the affect this

digital portal to be compulsory for financial remedy services

Family Lawyers have been told they may be required to submit financial remedy applications through HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s (HMCTS) digital portal in the New Year. Isabel Syred, HMCTS manager, said this week during

pay becomes lawyer's top priority

Pay overtakes flexibility for lawyers’ top priorities According to the latest research, pay is the most important factor for lawyers when choosing who to work for. The research, conducted by Realm Recruit, claims to show

abusive partner found guilty of blackmail and assault

Court of Appeal doubles prison sentence for abusive partner found guilty of blackmail and assault A man who abused his partner has had his prison sentence increased after his case was referred to the Court

Abuser sees sentenced increased

A man has seen his prison sentence increased after the original sentence was found to be too lenient after an appeal. Michael Jones was originally sentenced on the 6th June, 2022 to six years imprisonment

A Deputy High Court judge has raised concerns after a couples were told they must represent themselves in a complex care case because they were £36 over a legal aid limit. Judge Richard Todd said

earnings between male and female barristers

Bar Council states findings show there is still a “long way to go” New analysis shows that women barristers earn 34% less on average than male barristers, but the pay gap is decreasing. The analysis

Andrew McFarlane

Sir Andrew McFarlane, the president of the family division, delivered a speech at the John Cornwell lecture at the Family Mediation Association Conference. He stated: “It is put forward gently, rather than a statement of

What’s up at WhatsApp

Outage causes disruption to millions of users This morning users of the app WhatsApp from around the world reported the messaging service had gone down. The app which has over two billion users has unexpectantly

productivity could stagnate due to quiet quitters

51% of managers claiming they are having to take on extra work due to “quiet quitters” Almost half of workers under the age of 30 have stated that they only intend to do the “bare

Solicitor exonerated after accusations of breaching AML

SRA fails to prove its claim solicitor acted dishonestly A solicitor who was accused of lying about her anti-money laundering policy has her name cleared after a tribunal. Maya Nisa-Zaman was brought before the Solicitors

Domestic and sexual abuse allegations against Met

Over 600 domestic and sexual abuse allegations are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police against its own officers. This follows the introduction of a specialist task force – the Domestic and Sexual Offences Unit (Daso)

north west firm announces shift to employee-owned structure

A North West law firm that champions happiness and positivity among its employees has become employee owned. The 85 employees of Chester-based Oliver & Co Solicitors now own 100% of the business through an employee