Family
Funder refused permission to use privileged material in ‘fraud’ claim
The High Court has refused a litigation funder’s bid to use privileged material to overturn a divorce settlement which it says deliberately provides no assets for the wife to pay the £1m she owes it.
The power of words: project aims to change the language of family law
A project seeks to make family law easier to understand and less hostile – between both parties and lawyers – has been launched by a London solicitor.
Raab eyes “drastic action” to keep family disputes out of court
Justice secretary Dominic Raab is “in the market for something quite drastic and bold” to reduce the number of private law family cases in the courts, he said yesterday in a wide-ranging discussion.
Acting for both sides “may become the norm” in divorce work
A future where lawyers act for both sides of divorces as a matter of course and others exit regulation to offer a new kind of service has been sketched out by Resolution.
Toning down the theatrics: Barristers “less aggressive” in remote hearings
A significant number of expert witnesses who have been appeared in court remotely over the past 18 months say barristers have been “less aggressive” in their cross-examination.
Lawyers the only winners in “nihilistic” divorce dispute, says judge
The lawyers are the only beneficiaries of a “nihilistic” divorce dispute that has cost £2.3m in legal fees, with the couple’s children the main losers, a High Court judge has ruled.
Unbundled family law service to expand as SRA eyes pilot
A pilot version of an unbundled family law service for litigants in person has enabled them to save 70% on legal fees and is to be expanded; meanwhile, the SRA is to run its own unbundling pilot.
Judge dismisses 28 “identical” divorce petitions from online provider
The High Court has dismissed 28 divorce petitions drafted by online service iDivorces because they contained “absolutely identical” particulars. The company said the judge was “very understanding”.
Leading solicitors’ mobile phones hacked, Court of Appeal rules
The mobile phone of top solicitor Baroness Shackleton was hacked on the authority of the ruler of Dubai and she was alerted to it by Cherie Blair QC, an extraordinary Court of Appeal ruling has revealed.
MoJ: “Strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees
There is “strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees by inflation, backdated to 2016, the Ministry of Justice has said.
Blog
Why is Andrew Malkinson still paying for a crime he didn’t commit?
Like many in my profession and beyond, I have been moved by the case of Andrew Malkinson, the man who spent 17 years in prison for an awful crime he did not commit.
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
