England

Legal battles over wills have soared in England and Wales by more than 34 per cent in five years, new figures show. Data from the Ministry of Justice show that 195 inheritance disputes went to court last year — as compared with 145 in 2017.

An apprentice digital media executive has been awarded £50,000 after she suffered victimisation and discrimination at work because she found maths "very difficult". Sophie Molyneux sued Apprentify, a firm that sources apprenticeships, after she was fired from a role at a business that trains p

Spiking will be clearly defined in English law under UK government plans to protect women and girls from violence and abuse. The forthcoming Criminal Justice Bill will put beyond doubt that spiking is illegal and will be backed with separate guidance, set in law, to provide a clear, unequivocal defi

Judges can use generative AI technology like ChatGPT to assist in producing judgments but should not use them for legal research, landmark new guidance in England and Wales sets out. The new judicial guidance on AI states: "Judges are not generally obliged to describe the research or preparatory wor

Nearly half of barristers in England and Wales have experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment and discrimination in their legal work, according to new research by the Bar Council. In the most recent survey, 44 per cent of respondents said they had experienced or observed this behaviour while wor

The growth of litigation crowdfunding could lead to 'inverse SLAPPs' which appear to funders to be in the public interest but are "simultaneously meritless as a legal matter", a new report says. The warning comes in new research published by the Legal Services Board (LSB) in England and Wales last w

A senior English judge in the family courts has been treated in hospital after he was assaulted by a man whose case he was hearing. The litigant in person, who cannot be named, has pleaded guilty to assault, criminal damage and causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress and is due to be sente

English law firm Leigh Day has launched a group legal claim against ride-hailing app FREENOW, owned by BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility, alleging unlawful treatment of its private hire drivers. The firm, which previously brought a successful claim against Uber, argues that FREENOW private hire d

An English barrister who raised his hand in a Nazi salute in court has been fined.

Four out of every five London litigators are now engaged in cases where at least one party is supported by litigation funding, a survey has found. Furthermore, 90 per cent of litigators believe it is time to regulate the third-party finance sector.

More than four out of five expert witnesses in England want judges to be willing to give them anonymity in criminal or controversial cases. The finding comes from the 2023 Expert Witness Survey, from the Law Society Gazette, and concerns cases in which experts are instructed to give evidence in emot

The UK government has been urged in a new report to reform the law on universal jurisdiction to ensure that war criminals cannot evade justice. The Global Britain, Global Justice report published by REDRESS and the Clooney Foundation for Justice examines how the UK has faltered in its historical com

A record number of trials in England and Wales have been delayed because of an inability to find judges. Analysis by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and The Independent found that 51 trials were delayed on this basis between April and June 2023 — more than double the average in the five yea

All practising solicitors in England and Wales may have to pay up to £400 in order to cover the costs to clients following the collapse of a City law firm. Axiom Ince was closed down by regulators last month and police are investigating allegations of a £64 million fraud.

The imprisonment of a 45-year-old woman in England who admitted to causing her own abortion during the lockdowns was “unlikely” to be just, senior judges have said. Carla Foster was given a 28-month prison term after obtaining tablets when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant.