Updating wedding laws
The Gazette and Family Lore cover reaction to the Law Commission’s proposals for updating wedding laws. Stephanie is quoted saying the report “offers a much-needed opportunity to bring our marriage laws into the 21st century.”
“Many marriage laws have not been updated since the late 1940s and they set specific and often surprising requirements around how, where and when couples can wed. Many couples will be unaware that temporary measures brought in during the height of the pandemic – such as civil ceremonies and civil partnerships taking place outside – have only recently been made permanent.
“Allowing this change means couples have more flexibility and choice on their wedding day, as well as a greater variety of venues with a wider range of officiants.”
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Nationality and Borders Act spotlight
Our head of public law Ellie Cumbo spoke to the Gazette about implications for solicitors of measures introduced in the act for a feature on the new legislation.
The Gazette notes the words ‘solicitor’ and ‘lawyer’ do not appear in the act, but ‘Tribunal charging power in respect of wasted resources’ introduce powers to fine ‘a relevant participant’ who ‘has acted improperly, unreasonably or negligently’.
Ellie was critical of these ‘additional measures’ (clauses 80 and 81) that set up a “real world conflict of interest” between lawyers’ duties to their clients and the risk of sanctions being applied to them for representing a client challenging an immigration decision.
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Heatwave: Can it be legally too hot to work?
Max Winthrop, from our employment law committee, spoke to BBC Radio Derby (from 1:46:54) about the heatwave and what health and safety responsibilities employers have towards their employees.
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