A new survey of 2,000 adults has uncovered the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on divorce and separation in England and Wales. The survey, which was commissioned by the law firm,

National firm Michelmores announced that it had “successfully applied to the court to shorten the 20-week window for its client, who has life-limiting health conditions”, as reported in the Law Society Gazette. The Divorce, Dissolution

A recent survey from the NSPCC of more than 8,000 UK teachers shows the essential role that schools play in keeping children safe. The survey highlights the worrying scale of abuse and neglect faced by

The Solicitors’ Charity has released its annual Big Report which highlights a significant increase in the number of solicitors who have been newly supported over the past year. The report also shows a rise in

A group of survivors of child sexual abuse, gendered violence, and online misogyny have urged the Prime Minister to strengthen the Online Safety Bill to protect women and girls as the legislation is debated in

The UK’s fertility regulator is “urging egg and sperm donors to update their contact details to avoid disappointing their offspring”, as new data shows around 30 donor conceived young people will become eligible to find

Private law applications to the family court usually involve separated parents who are struggling to agree arrangements for their children. However, 10% of these applications each year feature people who aren’t parents. New research published

After failing to advice a former divorce client on her eligibility for her spouse’s pension, a law firm in Essex was forced to pay her £400,000, heard in the High Court. His Honour Judge Coe

Cafcass has introduced practice quality standards for working with children and families in private law family court proceedings and updated its practice quality standards when working with children, families and partners in public law proceedings.

Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ (HCR) Family Law team announces their new ‘Unified in Separation (US)’ legal service which will allow divorce to be managed by a single lawyer, rather than having one lawyer for each party.

Guidelines to help improve practice when the state takes action to safeguard an unborn or newborn baby have been finalised and published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield FJO), following the introduction of a draft

Hall Brown Family Law has revealed that its success in managing a permanent shift to hybrid working has delivered further robust results. The firm has seen turnover rise by one-sixth during a year in which

New data released shows that problems in the criminal justice system are persisting, the Law Society of England and Wales has said. From February 2022 to February 2023 there was a 6% increase in the

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals have announced the appointment of Sir Richard Broadbent as the new chair of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) Board. Sir Richard succeeds

Last year, over 10,000 women fleeing domestic abuse across England were denied safe housing, according to a report from The Times. The figures revealed that almost “8,000 households referred to a safe accommodation service did

There were more than 400 victims that were forced into marriage in the UK over the last year, according to a report from Sky News. Sky News spoke to Karma Nirvana, a specialist charity for

Henry Crisp, Senior partner at the family law firm, Crisp & Co, has predicted what the future of divorce will look like following the new Capital Gains Tax reforms commencing on 6th April. Under the

Cafcass has launched a new course to help parents to prioritise their children’s needs during separation. Planning Together for Children, a programme created by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), has

Grooming gangs who target children and young women will be “stamped out” under new plans unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. A new Grooming Gangs Taskforce led by the police and supported by the National

New government family law proposals could accelerate a cultural shift for separating couples away from family courts, says The Family Mediation Council (FMC). In March, a series of new measures proposed in a consultation by

Sarah Hawkins, formerly operations manager at National Family Mediation (NFM), has been named as the charity’s new CEO, taking over from Jane Robey who retires after almost 20 years in post. Having joined NFM in

A new survey of solicitors indicates that the profession views the reduction in legal aid availability as a major reason for the decline in access to justice, the Law Society of England and Wales revealed.

“Resilient law firms” reported a strong performance in fee-income during the financial year 2021-2022, according to the Law Society of England and Wales Leadership and Management Section Financial Benchmarking Survey. In its 22nd year, the

New data has revealed that applications for divorce rose by 11% last year to 119,709, the most since 2012. There were 24,273 divorce applications made between October and December 2022 under the new legislation. This

The family court system continues to be crippled with unacceptable delays, according to the latest family court data. This issue must be addressed before the family court system collapses, says the Law Society of England

The Family Solutions Group, backed by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, is calling for a radical change in outdated and combative language used by lawyers, courts, media and wider public in cases

Victims of domestic abuse will receive direct payments to help them leave abusive relationships in a new trial as part of the Government’s Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The £300,000 of funding is being provided to

Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs has responded to Baroness Louise Casey’s review into the Metropolitan Police’s culture, standards, and behaviour. Here’s what she had to say. “The experiences of victims and survivors laid out in

It has been 10 years since the government took an “axe to legal aid” and justice is increasingly out of reach for those in most need, as evidenced by new maps from the Law Society

HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s (HMCTS) update on its Reform Programme, which aims to redesign and simplify court services, indicates it has accepted stakeholders’ calls for transparency and timeliness. However, there is still work to

Domestic abusers who kill their partners or ex-partners will receive tougher sentences under government plans published on 17th March 2023. The law will be changed so a history of coercive or controlling behaviour against the

Couples are “forced to live together for an average of 1.3 years after they split”, with “one in eight continuing to share a bedroom” due to the impact of the current cost-of-living crisis. Layla Babadi,

According to The Law Society Gazette, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation (SRA) has stated that the demands placed on the law firms to stop money laundering will not ease up. To avoid money

Specialist domestic abuse charity Refuge has responded after one of Britain’s senior police figures allegedly described the bulk of rape complaints as “regretful sex”. The comments emerged following an investigation by Channel 4 News, with