Parents who refuse to pay child maintenance will face accelerated sanctions as Ministers announce the introduction of new powers to speed up strong enforcement action and other reforms to make the Child Maintenance Service (CMS)
Solicitors in England and Wales will celebrate Black History Month by embracing the “Saluting our Sisters” theme, which highlights the role Black women have had in shaping history, inspiring change and building communities, says The
Collaboration, mediation and parental alienation were among key topics of conversation as family lawyers came together at the Today’s Family Lawyer Private Law conference hosted in Manchester on 27th October. Opening proceedings a panel of
A woman, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, has faced court charges for an alleged illegal abortion, marking the fifth reported prosecution this year, as reported by The Times. The accusation centres on her
New data has revealed a 15% increase in final orders during the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, according to Family Court Statistics Quarterly. This surge is notable as it
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to unveil new initiatives that would force convicted rapists to serve their entire sentences, as reported by The Telegraph. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has been tasked with crafting
The Director at The Family Law Company has responded to the recent government declination to establish a legal definition for honour-based abuse and has described it as “hugely disappointing”. The rejection comes after the Women
Irwin Mitchell will expand its family law practice in the North East of England with the acquisition of Silk Family Law. The deal will add to Irwin Mitchell’s strong national family law practice which is
A new report commissioned by prominent children’s charities has revealed that councils in England are trapped in a concerning spending crisis regarding children’s services and social care. The report, conducted by Pro Bono Economics, emphasizes
The Drive Partnership have shared their newly published research paper: Suicide rates in high-risk, high-harm perpetrators of domestic abuse in England and Wales: a cohort study to be published in Crisis: Journal of Crisis Intervention
The government has declined to establish a legal definition for honour-based abuse, despite recommendations from the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) made in July. This comes as WEC stated in July that so-called honour-based abuse
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman has urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on its platforms without robust safety measures that ensure children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in messaging channels. Meta
Debate surrounding proposed reforms to the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is beginning to ramp up as lawyers in London – often dubbed the “divorce capital of the world – ponder the potentially seismic impact of
Ahead of the next general election, a coalition of 70 leading organisations working to end VAWG has published a joint manifesto calling on all political parties to adopt its priorities for ending this abuse. The
The #WhoIsMyDonor campaign aims to raise awareness of donor conception, of the information available to people affected by egg and sperm donation and how they can apply for it. Around 30 people who were conceived
Pay is once again the top factor for retaining and attracting lawyers with 56% saying it had triggered them to move firms, according to a new report. As part of its annual market research conducted
A government panel in Japan is proposing changes to child custody laws in response to a series of child abduction cases, suggesting that divorced couples should be allowed to share custody of their children, as
Three in five professionals state that their mental health has declined this year as a result of workplace stress, a new study has found. Despite UK employers spending millions on wellness initiatives every year –
Police chiefs will chair independent public hearings responsible for removing corrupt officers from their force under new plans to strengthen the police dismissals process. In a move to ensure the public are getting the high
Charity Gingerbread has received permission from the courts to intervene in a legal case to challenge the “persistent failure” of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to take “proper or effective steps” to recover maintained powers
A new report has highlighted the real cost of surrogacy, casting light onto the lesser-known expenditure required to join organisations, build rapport with a surrogate, and more. In the report, Sarah Jones, Chief Executive Officer
Divorced couples are leaving themselves exposed to the risk of future financial claims from their ex-spouses by not formally finalising settlements, a leading solicitor warns. Those who apply for a divorce online under the new
The Drive Partnership has been awarded £2.3 million by The National Lottery Community Fund to tackle domestic abuse and protecting victims by challenging and changing the behaviour of those causing harm. They have stated that
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new £3 million funding boost to support projects delivering vital services for women and girls experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence. At a visit to Kiran
A forensic accountant at a Midlands accountancy firm is urging family lawyers to be cautious about the extension of the no gain, no loss window on separation. Adrian Pym, director at Prime Accountants Group, said
A new report has identified flaws in the way decisions are made by Local Authorities for applications for children or young people who need extra support in either a mainstream education setting – or require
The NSPCC are urging parents to think carefully about whether their child is ready to be left home alone over the summer holidays. For working parents, July and August can be particularly difficult as they’re
It has been revealed that the names thousands of people adopted as children were made available on a genealogy website. The details were found on the Scotland’s People site which is operated by National Records
New data has revealed a continuation in the long-term upward trend in forced marriage protection orders from their introduction in November 2008 until the end of 2019. According to the Ministry of Justice’s quarterly Family
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its report Connect tech: smart or sinister, which warns that the use of smart technology and connected devices in facilitating domestic abuse is becoming a growing problem.
In the last year, the NSPCC Helpline received almost 1,400 contacts about children experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour as part of domestic abuse. The Childline service gave over 1,000 counselling sessions to children and young
In January to March 2023, there was a similar number of applications made, with a 0.4% increase, compared to the equivalent quarter in 2022, according to the Ministry of Justice’s quarterly Family Court statistics. The
A Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) document suggests that legal executives should get the “same status” as solicitors and become aligned in the standards that apply to them, according to reports. After carefully evaluating both regulators’
Family and Property Litigation lawyers at Birketts claim that the law is “severely deficient” in providing adequate protection to those persons who do not have the state “legitimise” their relationship by acquiring marital or civil
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has announced that it plans to review the enforcement and investigative tools available to legal services regulators, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could include increasing financial penalties available
A new report has revealed that 95% of UK legal professionals believe generative AI tools will have a noticeable impact on the practice of law. LexisNexis Legal & Professional has released a new report entitled