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12 July 2024 / Jasmine Galvin
Issue: 8079 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Family , Equality , Discrimination
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Gender & the law: time for change

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From pronouns to ‘legalease’—the legal world needs to adapt, argues Jasmine Galvin
  • Considers how the legal profession should respond to gender issues, particularly how family lawyers can be inclusive and supportive.

It is now 20 years since the creation of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and ten years on from the legalisation of gay marriage in the UK. This country is clearly capable of change and shows positive signs of becoming more inclusive.

Census 2021, England and Wales included a question on gender identity for the first time, with the result showing more than 260,000 people reported their gender identity as different to their sex registered at birth. So should the family justice system be better equipped to accommodate gender diversity? Is there a need for legal practitioners to adapt some of our historic legislation to enable everyone to feel they can access legal services without barriers—and, as non-binary/LGBTQIA+ communities continue to grow, are we able to make these changes to ensure inclusivity?

Pronouns

What

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Fieldfisher—Will Sharp

Fieldfisher—Will Sharp

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gunnercooke—Thomas Bjorn & Peter Rudd-Clarke

gunnercooke—Thomas Bjorn & Peter Rudd-Clarke

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Leonard Curtis Legal—Mark Maguire & Kane Jones

Leonard Curtis Legal—Mark Maguire & Kane Jones

Leonard Curtis Legal expands corporate team with twonew appointments

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The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
The Environment Agency can prosecute offences beyond environmental legislation where proceedings support its statutory functions, the Divisional Court has confirmed
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
Should a conviction stand when a later ruling reveals that the law underpinning it was wrong? The answer exposes a clash between finality and justice
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