Family Law Blog

I hear from colleagues that the service they have been getting from family courts recently has been improving. Apparently many had experienced cases taking longer, instances of papers going astray and call centres replacing local court staff as Government rationalisation of the courts service kicked in. This was, of course,…

In the second of our guest blogs, in which we invite others to post their thoughts on family law issues, Rachel Tonkin of Family Lives continues the theme from our previous guest blog about putting the needs of children first when going through a divorce or separation. These tips could…

Going back to work after Christmas and new year can be a shock to the system for many. Lazy days spent watching films, eating peanuts and polishing off the Baileys are suddenly replaced by alarm clocks, smart clothes and email inbox mountains. However, going back to work after having a…

So you survived the festive season then, I see? So I would like to formally welcome you to 2013 and wish you a prosperous and happy new year. Both those words are key to my first new year message – happy and prosperous, that is. Everyone has the right to…

It appears that it is men, rather than women, who find it more difficult to get back into a relationship after divorce and so are more likely to go through middle-age and later life alone. Almost 2.5 million people in the UK, aged 45 to 64 have their own home…

I was on a stag do the other week (yes, divorce solicitors do still get invited to weddings and the associated festivities) and I was chatting to a chap who was convinced that the only thing solicitors wanted to do in divorce cases was go to court. He was absolutely…

What is a proper family? Traditionally, the definition appears to have been married heterosexual parents with two or more children. I am not sure I would necessarily agree that is exactly right, but it will do for now. But where does that sit in 21st Century society? A new survey…

A little while ago a client came to me stating that he wanted a “Rottweiler” of a solicitor and I found this approach very strange indeed. As someone who was attacked when riding my bike home from work one night by a vicious Doberman (that looked like a Rottweiler) and…

It has been a phenomenon that we have definitely seen at Woolley & Co but I have wondered what is behind it. There are more over-50s, an age group perhaps we would expect to be less comfortable with divorce if only for historical reasons when it was less commonplace, filing…

I listened with interest to a debate on You and Yours on Radio 4 on Tuesday about divorce and separation. The wide-ranging item ably covered a full deck of topics, from children’s rights and a review of the current guidelines by Sir Nicholas Wall, to collaborative law and mediation. It…

Forced marriages is something of a hidden crime but in the UK between 2011 and 2018 there were on average 1,359 forced marriages reported every year.  Victims are often below the age of 18 and include males as well as females forced into marriage against their will. This is however…