Divorce can be a lengthy and expensive process, and it can result in relationships breaking down even further, to the detriment of any children involved. Couples in the unfortunate situation of divorce are increasingly seeking Dispute Resolution methods such as collaborative law, rather than facing the stress and high legal costs associated with going to […]
Divorce is often fraught with hostility and emotion and this is only heightened when attempting to agree to any child arrangements. Intractable contact cases can be nothing short of impossible in terms of searching for the prefect outcome – one that means that the best interests of the child are met, while both parents can […]
Separating from a partner is a significant decision that is most definitely not to be made lightly. There are many factors to consider before making the final decision to go ahead with a split. Below is a list of 5 considerations to make before going down the legal route and filing for divorce. 1. Communication […]
Family separations can be a testing time for all concerned, especially for any children involved. It is not uncommon for an outpouring of support to be offered to the divorcing parties and their children, however, little thought is often given to the affected grandparents. Family break-ups bring about very difficult circumstances and grandparents’ rights and […]
We look at the benefits of a ‘post-nuptial’ agreement We’ve been encouraging people to draw up ‘pre-nuptial’ agreements for some time now. There are many benefits to agreeing how assets would be divided in the event that you divorce. Providing both of you take independent legal advice and your agreement is kept up to date, […]
If you live with someone in a committed relationship, share your home and your lives – perhaps have children together – you’ll be protected if things go wrong – Right? Wrong. It’s a common misconception, and causes real distress, not to mention financial hardship, in a whole variety of situations – relationship breakdown, of course, […]
In what can feel like acres of bad news, the recent Australian vote in favour of same-sex marriage equality offered a rainbow-coloured beacon of good cheer to splash across our headlines. The postal vote was non-binding and legislation is needed to create a legal right to same-sex marriage. A bill to change the law was […]
The lack of rights for cohabiting couples has a big impact on society as well as on the individuals involved and their families. It’s estimated that there are over 800,000 cohabiting couples in London and the South East, of which nearly 300,000 have dependant children. Cohabitation is the fastest growing family type in the UK […]
Whether you are in favour of Brexit or not, it’s where the UK is headed in one form or other. The headlines are full of the impact this will have on business, but there are other areas that will potentially be completely changed once the UK leaves the EU – and family law is one […]
Despite Paul McCartney’s pronouncement that prenuptial (or premarital) agreements are unromantic, there are at least 5 good reasons to ignore this and go ahead. As a couple, you can agree what will happen should you split up The arguments that arise over finances during the course of a divorce are stressful and exhausting. If you […]
The 1996 Hague Convention will apply for all child abduction matters outside of the scope of Brussels II bis, which applies when the child or children concerned are either habitually resident in an EU member state or an EU member state has already made orders in relation to that child or children, regardless of where they […]
The benefits of a cohabitation agreement if you choose not to marry or enter into a civil partnership We’ve written before about the problems for people who choose to cohabit without formalising their relationship through marriage or civil partnership. While Resolution, the national family lawyers’ association, continues to campaign for recognition of cohabitees, the current […]
Even before the introduction of civil partnerships, there was confusion about the status of some partnerships – the widespread use of the term ‘common law marriage’ being a primary example of this. These days there are a number of ways you can obtain legal rights as a couple in England and Wales. In this blog, […]
‘Irretrievable breakdown’ to be considered by the Supreme Court We featured the Court of Appeal’s decision in Owens v Owens on our blog a few weeks ago. The judgement that, as a matter of law, the marriage between Tini Owens and her husband Hugh had not ‘irretrievably broken down’ was a blow to those of […]
