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A Short Guide to Alternative Dispute Resolution Two of the most common concerns clients express at the initial meeting with our solicitors are the potential legal costs which will be incurred and the time and energy required to resolve their situation....
Part 2: When things go wrong. In Part 1 of this blog series, I looked at why you should obtain legal advice before conceiving using donor gametes and how that affects legal parenthood. In Part 2 I will consider what happens if you discover after...
Part 1: Legal Parenthood. If you are considering building your family through donor conception, chances are you have already travelled a long road of infertility or perhaps you are a same sex couple where donor conception is something you have come to...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent interview with Oprah brought up many issues, one of which was whether they enjoyed a valid marriage ceremony before their much-publicised wedding in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Meghan stated that...
When same-sex couples become parents, they are faced with a number of important issues which makes taking proper legal advice essential to avoid issues arising in the event that they unfortunately separate. This was highlighted in the recent judgment of FC...
LGBT+ History Month takes place every February, to promote equality and diversity and increase awareness of the LGBT+ community. We thought it would be useful to put a spotlight on two recent cases affecting the transgender community. Family law is an...
Vaccinations have been a controversial topic for some time and disputes over the merits of vaccinating children have garnered much media attention. Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the work of the scientific community, these are likely to become...
With the news being dominated by Covid-19 for the last 9 months, we have had a bit of a break from hearing about ‘Brexit’. But, like it or not, Brexit will happen and the laws that we apply to family law issues come January 2021, will be very...
We are approaching the time of the year when parents need to have considered and agreed the arrangements for their children for the Christmas holidays. December can be stressful at the best of times, but there are going to be further complications this year...
There are many different ways to resolve issues arising following the breakdown of a relationship. Now, more than ever before, there is a renewed emphasis on alternative forms of dispute resolution which are often quicker and cheaper than using the courts....
You may have seen the recent news surrounding “ no fault ” divorce over the last few years following the Supreme Court’s decision in Owens v Owens , and the subsequent Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill which made its way...
When a divorcing couple are trying to reach an agreement as to how to share their finances, it can often be the case that the two parties have very different opinions as to what this agreement should look like. This can be for many different reasons. It may...
The recent Supreme Court decision in Villiers v Villiers [2020] UKSC 30 has raised the issue of spousal maintenance claims in England and Wales in the national press once again. The English courts are already generally viewed as a generous forum for...
UPDATE 22.01.2021: Following the Court of Appeal case of Haley v Haley [2020] EWCA Civ 1369 , the circumstances in which you can appeal an arbitration award have changed. You can read about those changes here . In these uncertain times, the...
Due to the lockdown restrictions brought on by Covid-19, domestic abuse helplines have seen an influx in calls from victims who are experiencing emotional, physical, psychological, sexual or financial abuse. There are various options available to you through...
During the pandemic, family life goes on. This means for separated parents there is an additional layer of confusion, emotion and complexity around the arrangements for seeing the children. After some initial miscommunication, the government has now...
In this unprecedented time of crisis, we are acutely aware that there will be families who are under strain and will need access to family law services even where they may be in self-isolation or separated from family members. At the firm, we are doing our...
The end of a relationship, however it arrives, normally generates some sense of loss. It can take some time for clients to feel ready to speak to a solicitor about the practical reality of untangling their lives from their former partner. When they do feel...
Please note that this article does not cover situations where there has been Local Authority involvement. The fallout from a divorce or separation can have far reaching consequences. Hostility between separating couples can often have a knock-on effect...
The turn of the new year saw the introduction of civil partnership for opposite sex couples for the first time. While this was a welcome, progressive change, the huge gulf in the law which exists for couples who choose to live together, without registering...
Many clients who have attended a meeting with a solicitor or done their reading online will have heard about mediation as an option for resolving disputes around family breakdown. The government’s strategy for family justice is to require people to...
The Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission recently jointly conducted a public consultation on their provisional proposals to reform the law governing surrogacy which closed on 11 October 2019. After a period of reviewing the responses, a final...
It is a frequent question at the first meeting: can I ask my ex-partner to contribute to my costs of the ‘divorce’? In today’s post, I will be addressing the three most common areas of a separation: the divorce or dissolution ; resolving...
Q: Are they only for the rich? No. Such agreements are increasingly being used by a wide range of people to seek to limit the claims that might otherwise be made upon divorce. An agreement more often relates to people who have: Built up assets prior to...
The issue of “no-fault” divorce has been dominating the family law world for the last few years. Following the highly publicised case of Owens v Owens, family law professionals have campaigned for the Government to introduce new legislation to...
The summer holidays are upon us. What should be a time of happy anticipation can be stressful in the circumstances where separated parents do not agree on whether their former partner can take their child on holiday or do not agree on the destination. If...
For most of our clients, their priority is to resolve their matter as amicably as possible. It is important for us to do this, where possible, to keep both their legal fees and their stress levels down. In terms of a divorce (this does not include the...
The approach of the family courts in cases involving domestic violence has increasingly come under fire for not providing sufficient protection for vulnerable litigants. Concerns were raised by campaigning organisations and survivors that the legal...
Due to a change in the law on 3 January 2019, it is now possible for single parents who used a surrogacy service to obtain orders from the English Court, by which they will be recognised as the legal parent. Under English law, the surrogate is the legal...
For parents going through separation or divorce , the arrangements for the children will be at the forefront of their minds. Divorce or separation is one of the most stressful events that one can experience, but when there are children involved, the...
When parents can’t agree the arrangements for their children (such as where their child will live or how much time he/she will spend with each parent) and family mediation is either not suitable or has broken down, one parent may make a court...
Back in June, I wrote a blog following the outcome of the Supreme Court case of Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, a cohabiting couple seeking legal recognition that the current law surrounding Civil Partnerships was discriminatory. Heterosexual couples...
The expression “meal ticket for life” is the latest media speak for its 1980’s equivalent “taken to the cleaners”. It is designed to strike fear in the hearts of all hardworking spouses that their future income will never...
The call for no-fault divorce in England and Wales was renewed this morning after the Supreme Court handed down judgment in the highly publicised case of Owens v Owens . By way of brief background, Mr Owens is 80 and Mrs Owens is 68. They have been married...
On Wednesday, judgment was handed down from the Supreme Court in the much-anticipated case of R v Secretary of State [2018]. This case is concerned with the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (CPA) and specifically, whether it breaches the parties’ rights...
Cohabiting couple families are the fastest growing family type – they are the modern family. The latest figures tell us that the number of cohabiting couples more than doubled between 1996 and 2016 from 1.5 million to 3.3 million, and this number is...
This week, for the first time, a man has been jailed for causing his former girlfriend’s death by suicide through his coercive and controlling behaviour. The mother of three had only been in a relationship with the man since March 2017. She endured...
The relationship between Scotland and England has always been a tumultuous one, but history tells us the two nations are more alike than either would care to admit. There was indyref followed by brexit which has prompted talk of indyref2 then to...
Love them or loathe them, Kim and Kanye West’s decision to use a surrogate mother in the creation of their family has placed the international media spotlight firmly on surrogacy. The Wests are far from alone, with the latest CAFCASS figures...
The proliferation of 'online divorce' over the last decade (from intriguing novelty to market presence) has highlighted not just a growing appetite for accessibility but also simplicity in the process. It was therefore only a matter of time before...
It is #NationalMediationWeek this week, and so on our blog we are focusing on the how, what and why of mediation as a process. At the firm we have two qualified Resolution mediators - Peter Burgess and David Lillywhite who are trained to help clients work...
This January, we’re reflecting on change. January is often a time of change and renewal in family life. Change can feel liberating, or it can feel devastating, but it can be transformative if managed well. In the words of Barack Obama...
