When did you last get a pay rise? Last year? The year before? The government has not increased the fees of civil legal aid providers for twenty-eight years. Yes, that is not a typo. 28 years. The fees that legal aid providers can get from the government are the same Read more…
More than 27,000 separating families have saved money, protected their children and avoided lengthy, expensive and combative courtroom battles, thanks to a £23 million government scheme. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme provides funding to help families navigate the complexities of separation, allowing them to settle issues around childcare and finances Read more…
One in 7 people in the UK needs expert advice to deal with the money they owe. That’s 8 million people who need help paying their mortgage, council tax, and utility bills. Half of this group are aged between 18 and 34, and three-quarters of them earn less than £30,000 Read more…
The latest divorce statistics for England and Wales are now out. The highlights are: 2022 saw a 29% decrease in divorces compared with the year before. This is the lowest number since 1971. The average length of heterosexual marriages was 13 years. Gay marriages lasted just 7 years. For lesbian Read more…
The National Audit Office has published a report on the legal aid system. It found that: The Ministry of Justice can not say how much money was saved in recent reforms The reforms are not providing the level of access to justice that they intended Diversion to mediation has failed Read more…
A new study suggests that women find it harder than men to adjust emotionally to the breakdown of a relationship later in life. The research looked at 200,000 people aged 50 to 70 in Finland. While both sexes increased their use of anti-depressants in the run-up to and immediately after Read more…
New research has found that women’s household income drops twice as much as men’s following a divorce. Women are more likely to struggle financially following a divorce Women are also more likely to worry about the cost of essentials Women are significantly more likely to waive rights to a partner’s Read more…
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse, you will be able to claim a one-off payment to enable you to leave your abuser. The funding will cover essential items such as groceries, nappies or support with somewhere new to live. Victims can also apply for a further one-off Read more…
The government is carrying out a review of civil Legal Aid which includes Family Mediators. Family Mediators are covered by the Family Law category. Although 80 per cent of firms provide Legal Aid because it is ‘the right thing to do’, there are some worrying results: Half of firms say Read more…
Just under half of adults are married or in a civil partnership The number of people over 70 who are married rose to 18 per cent Those under 30 who are in a legally-recognised relationship fell to 3 per cent In the last ten years, the number of people in Read more…