Children

Articles

Made to order

The role of grandparents and the rise in shared residence orders are two of the main trends the family courts have been grappling with when considering a child's best interests. Noel Arnold reports

North West – casualties and survivors

North West firms that have survived the recession are focusing on growth, restructuring and modernisation, but to succeed they know they must adopt a clear strategy. Jean-Yves Gilg reports

The new poster boys

Successful alternative business structures will be those likely to follow the same ethical and professional approach as traditional law firms, says Nick Denys

The Planning Act 2008

The shape of things to come: the Planning Act 2008 seeks to streamline and fine tune the planning application process, but whether it will strike the correct balance of expediting major infrastructure projects while addressing the concerns of third parties remains to be seen, say Giles Ferin and Marco Mauro

Update: family

Lynne Passmore considers mediation, collaborative law, pre-nuptial agreements and divorce cases involving a change in income, the issue of domicile and a fall in the value of investments

Tepid welcome for Law Commission's review of intestacy laws for cohabitants

Cohabitants who have lived together for more than five years could be given the same rights on death as married couples under plans unveiled by the Law Commission.

A public matter

A more open and public system to deal with proposed assisted suicides is needed to clarify the law and minimise uncertainty, says Guy Otten

Fitting the bill

All law firms should adopt an electronic billing system to provide clients with the efficiency and consistency they increasingly expect, says Damian Blackburn