BLOG - Family

• When is a marriage not a marriage, and when may it look like one?

  

  22 Jul, 2024 Posted By: Erica Newman-Berry

  Did you know that there is no such thing as a common law marriage in England and Wales? Contrary to popular belief, unless you are legally married or have a registered legal partnership, there are no automatic  legal rights  or obligations to each other, including the division of financial assets if you separate or if one of you dies, this... read more.
  Tags: Children , Cohabitation , Collaborative Family Law

• Legal Update: Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill

  

  23 Jun, 2020 Posted By: Abigail Whelan

  You may have seen our previous blogs on the topic of the proposed divorce law reforms.  If you haven’t, you can find them here: - The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation bill  (posted on 3rd February 2020) Reducing Conflict on Divorce  (posted on 25th July 2019) As you may be aware, under the present law, unless... read more.
  Tags: Collaborative Family Law , Family , Family Law

• What does COVID-19 mean for child contact arrangements?

  

  01 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Abigail Whelan

  We have all seen the government advice about staying home, unless we need to leave the house for specific reasons, such as picking up “essential items” from the shop. But what does this mean for those who are separated parents, with children that spend time between houses? Sir Andrew McFarlane, who is the most senior Judge in the Family... read more.
  Tags: Children , COVID-19 , Family Law

• The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill

  

  03 Feb, 2020 Posted By: M. Taylor

  As you may have seen from the news, the government is making changes to the law relating to divorces and dissolution of civil partnerships. The  proposed new law has its second reading in the House of Lords this week, although no firm date has been set for the law to come into effect, once it is passed. The changes are intended to remove... read more.
  Tags: Civil Partnerships , Divorce , Family

• Proposed Law Reform for Divorce

  

  01 Oct, 2018 Posted By: Marion Fisher

  A controversial ruling by the UK Supreme Court that a woman must remain in an unhappy marriage until 2020 has prompted calls for divorce law to be reformed, to allow for “no fault divorces” in the UK. The case of Mr and Mrs Owens has highlighted the extent to which the UK divorce law differs significantly from many other countries. Under... read more.
  Tags: Family , Family Law , Divorce

• Briers and Briers - another cautionary tale for divorcing couples.

  

  22 Jan, 2018 Posted By: Marion Fisher

  You may recall our blog in 2016 about  the case of Wyatt and Vince.  Even for those of us who have been practising family law for many years, this case was unusual and it brought home the importance of divorcing couples having a court sealed financial agreement, even if at the time of the divorce neither party had any real assets. Yet... read more.
  Tags: Family , Family Law , Cohabitation

• Archer v Titchener. What would really happen

  

  20 Dec, 2016 Posted By: M. Taylor

  Regular listeners to ‘The Archers’ will know that Rob and Helen Titchener were back in court recently, this time to deal with the issue of Rob’s contact with his son, Jack, and that Henry, Helen’s son, and Rob’s step-son, should return to live with his mother. Rob is to have supervised contact with Jack once a month,... read more.
  Tags: Children , Divorce , Domestic Abuse

• Domestic Abuse doesn't only happen in the Archers

  

  14 Mar, 2016 Posted By: M. Taylor

  If you are a regular listener to Radio 4's’s long running soap, The Archers,   you’ll know that a current story line deals with the issue of domestic abuse within the Titchener family. Rob Titchener is not physically violent to his pregnant wife, Helen; his abusive behaviour involves controlling her movements, isolating her from... read more.
  Tags: Family Law , Children , Family

• Partner Wins Claim for Home

  

  17 Feb, 2016 Posted By: M. Taylor

  Joy Williams lived with her partner, Norman Martin for 18 years in a home they owned together. However, when he died unexpectedly in 2012, she found that, because they were not married, Mr Martin had not made a will, and the couple owned the property as Tenants in Common,  Mr Martin’s share of the house did not pass to her, but instead became... read more.
  Tags: Contentious Probate , Cohabitation , Inheritance

• What Becomes of the Broken Hearted

  

  11 Feb, 2016 Posted By: M. Taylor

  At this time of year, there are hearts and flowers everywhere, as people prepare for Valentine’s Day. Many couples will be celebrating, and it is a popular date to pop the question and form an engagement. Thinking about what could go wrong, or what might happen if a relationship goes wrong doesn’t feel very romantic, but it can save... read more.
  Tags: Family , Family Law , Disputes