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NLJ this week: Why a legal definition of honour-based abuse is important

17 November 2023
Issue: 8049 / Categories: Legal News , Family
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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

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
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The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The dangers of uncritical artificial intelligence (AI) use in legal practice are no longer hypothetical. In this week's NLJ, Dr Charanjit Singh of Holborn Chambers examines cases where lawyers relied on ‘hallucinated’ citations — entirely fictitious authorities generated by AI tools
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
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