Family
PE-backed serious injury firm makes big move into family law
Private equity-backed Fletchers Group has moved outside of injury work for the first time by buying leading family law firm Rayden Solicitors.
Head of family law cleared of serious wrongdoing over decree nisi
A senior family lawyer has been cleared of dishonesty and lack of integrity over an application for a decree nisi that was not made and remained outstanding for a year.
Strike-off for solicitor who misled client, court and law firm
A solicitor who misled her divorce client, the Family Court and the owner of her law firm – leading to the client being issued with a penal notice – has been struck off.
Court terminates solicitor’s appointment to cross-examine party
The Family Court has terminated the appointment of a solicitor to cross-examine a mother on behalf of the father because he is also instructed to act for the father in criminal proceedings.
Jail for “intimidating” litigant in person who abused family judge
A litigant in person who was “extremely abusive” to a district judge in a family case and made “direct threats of physical violence” has been jailed for four months for contempt.
Family justice system “letting children and families down”
There are “unacceptably long delays” in the family justice system and the government is showing no urgency to deal with them, MPs have said.
Strike-off for solicitor who hid partnership money during divorce
A partner who deliberately failed to disclose during his divorce that he held over £23,000 in his capital account has been struck off.
Judge-led divorce service aims to be “Uber for financial remedies”
The co-founder of a divorce service which puts clients directly in touch with family law judges has said it aims to be a legal services “Uber for financial remedies”.
Budget nuptial agreements “should provoke alarm”
Budget nuptial agreements “can mislead parties and distort expectations in lower-income cases” and “should provoke alarm”, an academic specialising in family law has argued.
Solicitor launches DIY divorce course to help people “arm themselves”
A solicitor who says she has been bombarded with requests for help from people wanting to divorce but unable to afford a lawyer has launched a DIY course for £79.99.
NAO: Family justice at risk from “inconsistent political leadership”
A “lack of consistent political leadership” – because of the high turnover of ministers chairing the Family Justice Board – has contributed to the continuing court delays facing families.
Judge condemns “continued saga” of excessive family law costs
A deputy district judge and leading family law solicitor has condemned what he called the “continued saga” of “excessive costs” charged by family lawyers.
Family law market grows more strongly than expected
The family law market grew more strongly than expected last year, taking its total value to almost £2.2bn as firms look to offer more holistic services and embrace AI.
Top family firm chooses employee ownership over private equity
Leading specialist firm Family Law Partners has eschewed approaches from private equity houses to move instead to employee ownership.
Legal market’s strong growth in 2024 set to continue this year
The UK legal services market grew by 10% to £52bn last year and is heading towards a strong 2025 too, according to new research.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
