Pets are commonplace in UK households and often likened to human members of the family.

The long-awaited Domestic Abuse Bill shall become law after the House of Lords approved the bill just days before the end of the parliamentary session this week.

Last month the Government has confirmed their plan to make non-fatal strangulation a specific criminal offence under the new Domestic Abuse Bill.

On 22 March 2021, the Ministry of Justice opened a consultation in respect of increasing selected Court fees for the first time since 2016. The consultation also proposes to increase the income threshold for eligibility for Help with Fees, which will see more people becoming eligible for assistance with fees.

This week we’re supporting ‘UK Says No More week - a national campaign aimed at ending domestic abuse and sexual violence across the UK.

The chancellor has announced a £15million package for support for domestic abuse programmes. This follows a previous increase in funding for domestic abuse services during the first national lockdown last year amid the huge rise in domestic abuse and has almost doubled the funding towards domestic abuse in the 2020 budget.

People often believe that issues arising from separation such as divorce, financial matters and child arrangements can only be resolved through Court proceedings.

Family Mediation Week is this year taking place between the 18th-22nd January. The annual initiative creates awareness of the many benefits of reaching mutual post-divorce agreements, rather than heading to court.