English law favours "idle sexual partners over deserving relatives", says one of Britain's most senior family lawyers.

New laws on vetting people in contact with children are "ridiculous," says TV psychologist and government adviser Tanya Byron.

This summer a huge, private higher-education company in the US established a foothold in the British market. The £303m takeover of the firm that owns BPP law school in London by Apollo Global was the biggest buyout of a public company in the UK since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year, and could have equally seismic effects, bringing new competition to legal training and the wider university world.

Many high-flyers would recall some notable academic success in explaining how they had got to where they are today. Others might cite an inspirational teacher they had at school.

TOMMY Sheridan has abandoned his law course to concentrate on defending himself against charges of perjury, it has emerged.