Matilda Battersby is a freelance journalist and editor, and a senior reporter at the Today’s Media titles. She worked at The Independent newspaper for many years, but has also worked at The Times, Evening Standard, Telegraph and I newspapers since going freelance in 2015. Her specialisms are property and books, having worked extensively for various trade property magazines and The Bookseller magazine. She is based in East London.
UK homebuyers spend a fifth (21%) of their gross income on mortgage repayments according to new research. The latest UK Finance Lending Where We Live report revealed affordability is at the tightest level since 2008,
A new study aiming to provide the most comprehensive and authoritative insight into the Welsh legal market has opened for anonymous contributions by legal professionals in Wales. The study is being conducted by Legal News
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fined Taylor Rose more than £160,000 for compliance failures including failing to return client money promptly. The SRA directed the firm to pay a financial penalty of £160,059, with
The Solicitors’ Charity partner Lawsight is supporting the call for more tangible action on wellbeing in the law ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week in May. Lawsight is recommending practical steps that can be implemented
The inaugural Women in Conveyancing Snowdon Charity Hike saw industry professionals come together to complete a challenging 14‑kilometre ascent of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa). The group, made up of conveyancers, industry stakeholders, friends, family and four‑legged
New research from Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) suggests there is a ‘confidence gap’ among prospective first-time buyers which is stopping them from buying. Despite more than half (52%) of the 1,001 renters surveyed by MAB
MSB Solicitors has relocated its Birmingham operations to a larger office in Chamberlain Square and is recruiting for its property team in the city. “We are delighted to expand our operations in Birmingham following the
The government has announced an extra £41 million for local authorities to cover the costs of enforcing the Renters’ Rights Act, in addition to £18 million announced last autumn. The £60 million in funding will
UK legal professionals spend nearly three hours a day on non-billable tasks, according to a new industry report. Profitability in Law: Global Report 2026, commissioned by LEAP Legal Software, surveyed around 700 legal professionals across
One in five partners are considering leaving their employers within the next few years, a survey across the UK Top 250 law firms suggests, as assumptions that being made partner meant you had a job
The housing market is “stabilising rather than surging” suggests the latest Housing Insight report from Propertymark. But the report draws on data published before the recent Bank of England decision to hold base rate and
Interest in law-related jobs has dropped by a third over the past year, recruitment website data suggests. The number of jobseekers pursuing legal roles fell by 32.9% between January 2026 and 2025, according to Indeed
Richard Orpin, the new chief executive of the Legal Services Board, has hailed legal services as a “huge economic success story,” but warned that “AI is blurring the boundaries between regulated and unregulated legal advice.”