Matilda Battersby

Law Gazette • 21st September 2026

MoJ consults on higher standard of proof for 'short-form' inquest conclusions

The government has launched a consultation on whether the standard of proof for 'short-form' inquest conclusions of unlawful killing should be changed back from the civil to the criminal standard.

The Bookseller • 9th September 2026

Self-publishing businesses create a 'single point of failure', authors warned

Independent authors are being warned against using self-publishing “intermediary” businesses that take money upfront for book distribution services and manage royalties, but “create a single point of failure” should that business collapse

The Bookseller • 13th August 2026

Self-Publishing Partnership: Authors left 'in limbo' over unpaid royalties after company collapses

The Society of Authors is helping authors after a self-publishing business went bust causing confusion, delays and leaving unpaid royalties “in limbo”.

Law Gazette • 12th August 2026

Cohabitation reforms 'could generate 10,000 extra cases a year'

Reforms of cohabitation rights could generate around 10,000 additional Financial Remedies Court cases annually, a senior family judge has said.

The Bookseller • 12th August 2026

Bath Children's Lit Festival to 'try harder next year' after line-up criticised for lack of diversity

Bath Children’s Literature Festival has responded to a slew of children’s authors criticising a lack of diversity in its line-up by saying the small number of authors of colour slated to appear in its programme in September is part of an “industry-wide problem”.

The Bookseller • 17th July 2026

LGBTQ+ authors see rise in cancellations of school visits after 'complaints from parents'

Authors of books featuring same-sex families, gay characters and other LGBTQ+ themes have told The Bookseller they have had school speaking events cancelled, or pupils withdrawn, amid complaints from “homophobic” parents.

Planning Resource • 8th July 2026

How the planning system is treating... laboratories | Planning Resource

The Bookseller • 19th June 2026

How AI is driving more customers than social media for Fox & Fable bookshop

With AI assistants shaping how readers discover titles online, venture-backed start-up Fox & Fable is betting that ‘answer engines’ could become publishing’s next crucial sales channel

inews.co.uk • 4th June 2026

I had my walking analysed – and discovered how fast I’m ageing

Your walking speed and style can be a pre-warning of conditions such as dementia, and now British scientists have developed a quick test that could revolutionise health

Today's Family Lawyer • 3rd June 2026

New law 'will see domestic abusers more easily evicted and victims able to keep tenancy' - Today's Family Lawyer

Social landlords will be able to evict domestic abusers under a new law proposed by the government, which also seeks to better protect abuse victims from homelessness.

The Bookseller • 8th May 2026

Author profile: former Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery

The poet and playwright on her year of using verse as a means to bear witness. Matilda Battersby reports

Today's Family Lawyer • 1st May 2026

Freelance journalist wins reporting restrictions challenge in family proceedings - Today's Family Lawyer

A High Court judge has agreed to release redacted documents from family proceedings to a journalist from The Observer despite some of the material containing information which could only be considered in closed court for reasons of national security. The journalist may also publish the fact that one of appellants is a serving member of the British Army’s Special Forces.

Today's Family Lawyer • 23rd April 2026

Unregulated sperm donor loses declaration of parentage application

The Family Court has taken the unusual step of naming an unregulated sperm donor in a judgment on a parentage case.

The Bookseller • 10th March 2026

More women need to be published as 'thought leaders' to address non-fiction gender gap, LBF hears

Claire Shanahan, executive director of the Women’s Prize Trust, said there is an “authority gap” associated with women’s non-fiction at an event at the London Book Fair 2026.

Today's Family Lawyer • 5th February 2026

Family court grants journalist's application for psychologist's reports to 'advance open justice' - Today's Family Lawyer

A judge has granted a journalist permission to see reports by a psychologist in four private family law cases, having concluded that to do so would “advance open justice”.

The Bookseller • 12th January 2026

Author Shaun Rein's voice 'cloned with AI' to read book on 'deepfake' podcast

An author who discovered “deepfake” YouTube videos of himself reading chapters of a book published in the UK by John Murray Business – an imprint of John Murray Group, a division of Hachette UK – has suggested that video content is a “dangerous” new battle for publishers when it comes to breaches of copyright through AI.

The Bookseller • 22nd December 2025

Authors hit with 'deluge' of scam emails from fake marketers offering paid promotion

Authors are being hit with a "deluge" of scam emails, some of which appear to impersonate industry professionals, marketing agencies and famous authors.

The Bookseller • 20th December 2025

Audio 'no longer an afterthought' as publishers snap up raft of audio-first acquisitions

This year has seen a raft of “audio-first” acquisitions, suggesting audio is “no longer the afterthought” it once was, with books acquired exclusively for listeners, and the arrival of the UK branch of Simon Maverick, Simon & Schuster’s audio-focused imprint.

Today's Family Lawyer • 16th December 2025

Psychotherapist loses bid for anonymity, as Appeal Court rules judicial criticism doesn't trigger additional rights - Today's Family Lawyer

A psychotherapist who attempted to block being named in the judgment on a case for which she was a witness has had her bid for anonymity refused by the Court of Appeal.

The Bookseller • 12th November 2025

OpenAI copyright case reveals 'ease with which generative AI can devastate the market', says PA

A judge’s ruling that legal action by authors against OpenAI for copyright infringement can go ahead reveals “the ease with which generative AI can devastate the market”, according to the Publishers Association (PA).