This blog was written prior to a change in divorce law in April 2022 which introduced no fault divorce in England and Wales. You would have to live on the moon to have missed the news that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have parted company, allegedly as a result of…
When I take a call from someone who is separating or getting a divorce one of the first concerns they have is does it matter that the family home is not jointly owned? Women in particular, who may not have had much involvement in the marital finances, can feel quite…
A shocking report in 2014 revealed that a teenager sitting their GCSEs is more likely to own a smartphone than live with their father. The Fractured Families report, from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), also showed that a million children have no significant contact with their dads. The publication…
Uncertainty around many things in Britain is still high after our historic vote to leave Europe. We blogged a couple of weeks ago about the language of Brexit borrowing heavily from divorce and what the architects of the change could learn from us family law specialists. For many people though,…
As a family law solicitor for almost 30 years the most common question I am asked when I first speak to a client is “Will I lose my family home?” Clearly this is one of the most pressing concerns for people when it comes to separation and divorce and that…
Divorcing couples often find reaching a financial settlement the most challenging part of the divorce process. And sometimes this is because they really don’t know where to start. Well-meaning advice from friends, misconceptions from the media and personal beliefs of what is ‘right’ and ‘fair’ can get in the way…
One without lawyers I hear you say. At first thought you may be right, but let’s have a look at that statement in closer detail. What is a good divorce and is one achievable? How can you dance with your ex at your daughter’s wedding and even be there together…
Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service and its role in children proceedings is both to make sure children’s voices are heard and that decisions are taken in their best interests (which is not always the same thing – what a child says he or she…
Well, the case finally is settled. In court last week, we got a conclusion to the long-running Wyatt v Vince financial award case. You may remember that we blogged on this last year (Vince v Wyatt case shows consent orders are essential). And it is a perfect example of the…
‘Divorce mortgages’ hit the headlines in recent weeks as banks and mortgage lenders put forward ideas for new ways a divorcing couple may be able to borrow money to “buy-out” the other and hold on to the family home themselves. A so called “divorce mortgage” is an innovative idea on…
It is a fact of life that in most cases, when two people end their relationship, one or both are hurt, upset and angry. These are very strong emotions and are pretty normal and understandable. Where it becomes a problem is when these emotions are allowed to spill over and…
I was tempted to entitle this blog Sparkling Cyanide, sadly not a reference to a work by Agatha Christie but in fact a recent case in the family courts which illustrates how the courts become involved when parental ‘responsibility’ isn’t being exercised. The case I am referring to involved the…
