Family Law

As 2018 drew to a close and people celebrated the start of a New Year, others began the divorce process as it was revealed that a total of 455 applications were made between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 26 people submitted applications on Christmas Eve, 13 on Christmas Day, 23 on Boxing Day and […]

All those with Parental Responsibility for a child have the right to be involved in major decisions about that child, including in relation to the child’s education. If your child is approaching school age and needs to start school in September 2019, you need to complete your application for their place at a primary school […]

On 23rd November the House of Lords will hear the committee stage of the Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill. The law regarding financial provision on Divorce remains subject to a statute which is now 45 years old (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973). Some might say therefore that the law is somewhat outdated. The Bill seeks to bring […]

Theresa May, the Prime Minister has announced today that heterosexual couples in England and Wales will soon have the choice of a Civil Partnership stating that by “extending civil partnerships, we are making sure that all couples, be the same-sex or opposite-sex, are given the same choices in life”. This will provide a significant change […]

The UK government are set to announce a consultation on ‘no-fault divorce’ as Justice Secretary David Gauke described the current system as creating “unnecessary antagonism” following the case of Owens v Owens. It was reported that David Gauke now plans to call for the existing fault-based system to be overhauled. We reported on the case […]

It is a widespread misconception that there is such thing as the ‘common law marriage’ with many people believing that if they are in a long-standing relationship, often with children involved, they will begin to acquire the same rights as married couples or those in a Civil Partnership. The truth is the legal protection available […]

Are the government about to reform enforcement measures for family financial orders? The Law Commission has previously published a report recommending various proposals aimed at making it easier to enforce family financial orders. The summary of the Law Commission report can be found here. The aim of the recommendations is to make the enforcement of […]

Today, the Supreme Court (the highest Court in England and Wales) has decided that Mrs Owens has to stay married to her husband. Mrs Owens has been seeking a divorce for 3 years. Mrs Owens’ journey Mr and Mrs Owens married in 1978.  Mrs Owens filed her petition for divorce in May 2015 in which […]

Would you pay your ex money to soften the break up?   There is a new dating trend in China in which people are doing just that. A case full of cash (equivalent to £232,323) was recently found in a bar in China.  It turned out to be a (rather large) break-up fee which a man […]

In February 2017 we posted a blog on the continuation of the battle for heterosexual civil partnerships. Since then, Mr Keidan and Mrs Steinfeld have taken their case to the Supreme Court and have left the judge calling it a ‘blatant inequality’. The Supreme Court has found that the non-availability of civil partnerships for heterosexual couples […]

I recently met a new client seeking some advice about a pre-nuptial agreement. He was a young man who was potentially going to marry his partner in an Islamic ceremony and then they would both move into his home which he had bought prior to the beginning of the relationship. The young man was accompanied […]

We commented on the case of Mr and Mrs Versteegh in February of this year regarding the ex-wife awarded £90 million in a divorce settlement who was fighting for more in an appeal against the judgement. On 10 May the Court of Appeal handed down its judgement, dismissing the appeal by Mrs Versteegh. The appeal focussed […]