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29 July 2022
Issue: 7989 / Categories: Legal News , Family , Human rights
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NLJ this week: Gamete donors & parental responsibility

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Anthony Gold partner Fiona Lyon examines a recent Family Court case on sperm donors, in this week’s NLJ

McDougall v The Children concerned a sperm donor’s quest for parental responsibility or contact. The court refused permission.

The applicant had deliberately not disclosed his incurable hereditary condition, which prevented him from donating at clinics, when advertising himself as a donor on social media, resulting in the subsequent birth of 15 children.

Lyon looks into this complex case, the rights and duties of both sides and why the judge named McDougall in court as a public warning and to stop him doing the same again.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
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
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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