If there’s one thing I can be certain of, it’s that my phone will ring more often in September than in August. The weeks following the school summer holidays are always a busy period for Family lawyers like me. It’s a time when people want to start the divorce process. And, just as the beginning […]
The divorce process has evolved quite significantly in recent years. No longer purely court-based, it now offers couples a range of options when it comes to reaching agreement about the terms on which they’ll separate and move on from one another. Decisions about the division of assets, for example, used to be something that a […]
Please click on the link to listen to Susi Gillespie’s interview on the Julia George show in Radio Kent on 9th April following the Justice Minister David Gauke’s announcement that divorce law would be reformed resulting in ‘no fault divorce’ law. This move is welcomed by Susi who has been campaigning with Resolution to bring […]
We all know that when two people separate, the effects are felt by a far wider circle. Children will often be in the thick of it, continuing to live with one or both parents while the difficult matter of divorce is dealt with. They hear the arguments. They’re exposed to views that they ought not […]
January 7th. The first working Monday of 2019, dubbed ‘Divorce Day’. The media played on the likely onslaught of divorce petitions filed by warring couples that had reached the end of their tether after a tense festive period. Emotional and financial strains exacerbated by Christmas would tip people over the edge. Divorce Day would be […]
A relationship breakdown can have profound and long-lasting effects on a couple, on their children, and on the wider family. It can even affect social networks, with friends intentionally or otherwise siding with one party. While there is no way of eliminating the emotional and practical challenges of separation, divorce, or dissolution, there is growing […]
The law looks set to change to enable a man and woman to become civil partners. This is a significant shift from the current position of marriage being the only option for heterosexual couples that want to have their union recognised in law. No date has yet been set for this extension of civil partnerships, […]
It is believed that one in eight couples in the UK live together but are not married or in a civil partnership. This is called ‘cohabitation’; an increasingly popular relationship choice, and one that undoubtedly suits the six million or so people who are doing it. There are other types of cohabitation set-ups that don’t […]
This time last year we wrote about the beginning of Mr and Mrs Owens’ journey to the highest court in the UK. Mrs Owens was hoping to be granted a divorce from her husband; something that she had been denied because of a failure to meet the necessary threshold. The Supreme Court has now spoken, […]
With the summer holidays fast approaching, parents everywhere are starting to prepare for their biggest juggle of the year. Arranging six or more weeks of childcare, carefully balanced with work commitments – and perhaps even fitting in a foreign holiday – can take its toll on family units. And the difficulty can be even greater […]
The long-awaited online divorce procedure is here. Introduced the Ministry of Justice and trialled in selected areas, the option to file your divorce application, pay the fee and submit supporting documentation online is no open to everyone in England and Wales. How does online divorce work? The new online divorce service doesn’t offer an end […]
Are you watching ‘The Split’? It’s the latest in a line of glossy legal dramas that we’re all familiar with. From the days of Ally McBeal and North Square, to Silk and now The Split, there seems to be an endless appetite for legal drama. Divorce is one of those areas that lends itself to […]
If you and your partner have gone through the heartbreak of realising that your relationship isn’t going to work, dealt with all the paper work relating to divorce, made the decisions about who gets what, and sorted out arrangements for your children, the last thing you want to discover is that for some reason or […]
Spring time – a time of year when lots of families look toward booking holidays for the summer. Holidays abroad with your children can sometimes be tricky to negotiate if you and your child’s mother or father are divorced. Trickier still are the legal practicalities involved if you want to take your children on holiday […]
