Article Category: Family Law – Insight & Opinion

When unhappy couples spend time together over Christmas without the day-to-day distractions of working life, that time can really clarify why you might not want to spend another stressful holiday together. If it is an amicable divorce or separation that you want despite the circumstances behind your parting ways, a solicitor will be a calm… Read more »

Concerns have been doing the rounds lately regarding the resolution of cross-border legal disputes post-Brexit. However, it appears The Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill aims to address this by effectively safeguarding the Hague Convention. What is the Hague Convention? The Hague Convention consists of a series of treaties created with the aim to… Read more »

Divorce rates in the UK have officially hit a record low. According to the Office for National Statistics, there were a total of 90,871 divorces between heterosexual couples in 2018. That reflects a drop of 10.6% in comparison to 2017 and the lowest recorded number since 1971. The reasoning behind this has been widely considered… Read more »

There is a common belief in ‘common law marriage’. Some believe that seven or maybe ten years of cohabitation turns their relationship into a ‘marriage’ but the reality is, no matter the length of a relationship, marriage is only marriage with the certificate to prove it. Therefore, the rights for cohabiting couples as opposed to… Read more »

It is surprising how many couples believe that they have rights over another’s property if they have been in a long-term relationship that has come to an end. The concept of the term ‘common law wife’ is widely misconceived. There is no legal right to another’s property by virtue of a long-standing relationship. Similarly, clients… Read more »

For many people, the pension fund is the largest asset after the matrimonial home. Pension sharing on divorce or at the end of a civil partnership can help to achieve a suitable balance of splitting the assets. However, unless a ‘Pension Sharing Order’ is made then the benefits will usually be lost to one party,… Read more »

As the holiday season approaches, we have received a number of queries recently from clients who are planning on travelling with children as a separated parent, and asking whether they are able to take their child abroad without the consent of the other parent. The simple answer is you are not allowed to take your… Read more »

A common question raised with me is whether pre-nuptial agreements exist in English law, and more importantly, are they worth the paper they are written on? In short, the answer to both of these questions is yes! A pre-nuptial agreement is a bespoke document drawn up before marriage to state what happens to a couple’s… Read more »

Divorce- the misunderstandings Divorce is always a daunting prospect.  There is often the fear of the unknown and worry for the future.  Generally, it is a common misconception that financial provision on divorce favours the wife. There is no starting presumption that the wife should be provided with greater financial provision than the husband, however… Read more »

Father’s day is a time to acknowledge the importance of Fathers. For most, it is a day of recognition and togetherness. However, for some, the day may be an unhappy reminder of time lost with their children or a time to recognise the signs of parental alienation. When a relationship between adults fails, any number… Read more »