Family
Family mediator accreditation: can we simplify the process?
For family mediation week in January, the Family Mediation Council suggested making a pledge. Mine was to the FMC itself: to make the accreditation process more straightforward.
Court rejects divorcing husband’s conflict claim against solicitors
The Family Court has rejected a divorcing husband’s claim that his wife’s solicitors are conflicted out of acting for her because of past work they did for the couple.
Judge slams “disordered and chaotic” state of family case
An exasperated Family Court judge has adjourned a final hearing, saying the case was in such a “disordered and chaotic state that it is simply impossible to proceed in a fair way”.
Separating couples “know about mediation but go to lawyers”
Awareness of family mediation as an alternative to legal advice is not matched by action, with nearly half of people saying their first professional port of call in a divorce would be a lawyer.
Court orders law firm to pay costs for “improper” conduct of case
The Family Court has ordered a law firm to pay 35% of a father’s costs for its “improper, unreasonable and negligent acts”, with their client ordered to pay the rest.
Divorces wrongly allowed to proceed due to courts’ IT error “not void”
Divorce applications submitted before they should have been and wrongly allowed to proceed due to an error in the courts’ IT system are voidable – but not void, the High Court has ruled.
Online divorce service enters regulation with ABS licence
An online service specialising in uncontested divorces has become an alternative business structure regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Exclusive: Stowe boss lays out vision with new owner on board
The largest family law firm in the country is to pilot an unbundled service and offer clients more holistic support as part of a move to widen the current offering, its executive chairman has revealed.
Private equity owner sells family law giant to global investor
The largest family law firm in the country, Stowe Family Law, has been sold by its private equity owner to a global investment giant entering the legal market for the first time.
AI “could help allocate work to conveyancers”
Artificial intelligence is being developed for “triage and work allocation” in law firms and particularly for conveyancing, a director of the SRA has said.
