Family
Family justice “at risk from AI transcription tools”
The use by social workers of AI transcription tools is “impacting the integrity of written documents”, with “significant risks” for family justice.
Unregulated divorce service poised to launch law firm
Divorce and separation service amicable – which markets itself as an alternative to solicitors – is to enter regulation for the first time by setting up its own law firm.
Judge condemns “utter incompetence” of family law firm
A judge has condemned the “utter incompetence” of a law firm that claimed it had instructions to represent the husband in a financial remedy case when it did not.
Big spike in conveyancing complaints to Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman has reported a 41% increase in the number of complaints about conveyancing, driven by delays, poor communication and post-completion problems.
Family Court names expert who only “skimmed” the paperwork
A Family Court judge has decided to name an expert witness who did not want to be identified due to the multiple shortcomings in the evidence he gave about the death of a two-year-old girl.
“Partisan” solicitor gave woman’s contact details to ex-partner
A family solicitor who was “unnecessarily partisan” in acting for a father has been fined for trying to force the mother to reveal where she and her children lived.
Court simplifies ruling for parents with learning difficulties in AI first
A family court has used AI to create a simple version of its judgment so that two parents with severe learning difficulties could understand the legal process.
Family lawyers bid to show that arbitration is “not just for the rich”
A new group promoting family law arbitration says one of the biggest barriers in its way is the public perception that it is designed “for the rich”.
Lawyers granted injunction against harassment from litigant in person
A solicitor and a barrister in a family case have been granted an interim injunction against the litigant in person on the other side accused of harassing them.
Family law market expected to “keep growing by 6%”
The family law market grew by 6.4% last year to £2.3bn and will keep growing by almost 6% a year until it reaches £2.9bn in 2029, new research has predicted.
Barrister self-reports to BSB after citing fake cases in skeleton
A barrister has reported herself to the Bar Standards Board after submitting authorities hallucinated by artificial intelligence (AI) to the High Court.
Legal Ombudsman names eight firms over “serious” service failures
A Liverpool law firm ordered to bear the cost of redeeming a client’s mortgage because of mistakes made in a conveyancing matter is among eight named by the Legal Ombudsman.
Mazur: Court refuses CILEX Fellow exemption to conduct litigation
A circuit judge has refused to grant a highly experienced chartered legal executive an exemption that would allow her to conduct a family law case.
Legal market to grow “in all areas” as PE extends reach
The legal services market will grow across all practice areas in 2026 for the first time since Covid, researchers have predicte, while a growing private equity presence is “a continuing theme”.
Strike off for solicitor who told colleague to lie
A family law solicitor who asked a newly qualified legal executive to lie to a litigant in person, having already lied to him herself, has been struck off.
Blog
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
Forms are evolving – and more interesting than you might think
I have spent much of my working life thinking about something most people would probably prefer not to think about at all: legal forms.
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