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17 November 2023
Issue: 8049 / Categories: Legal News , Family
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NLJ this week: Why a legal definition of honour-based abuse is important

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The government has missed an opportunity to establish a legal definition of honour-based abuse, Imran Khodabocus, director, the Family Law Company, writes in this week’s NLJ. A recommendation that this be done was made by the Women and Equalities Committee but rejected by the government in September

Khodabocus, a lawyer working on diverse cases of honour-based abuse, explains why a legal definition would make a valuable difference. There would be benefits in terms of awareness, consistency of support provided and much more.

He writes: ‘It’s not possible to safeguard victims if no-one understands what they’re safeguarding against.’ Khodabocus, who trains legal professionals in this area, explains what not to do as well as what to do when working with victims of this type of abuse, and highlights some of the barriers faced by victims. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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