Family Law

The Court of Appeal has recently published its decision in the case of Southwell v Blackburn [2014] EWCA Civ 1347 for an ex-partner to pay a lump sum to his previous partner when they split, despite them not being married and her name not… Read More

From 22nd October 2014, the court must presume that the involvement of the parent (of whom a child does not primarily live) will further the child's welfare. The new piece of legislation (Section 11 of the Children and Families… Read More

The Government plans to introduce new rules by November 2014 to enable those adopted as children, and the children, grandchildren and other relatives of those adopted, to trace their family history.  As the law currently stands, only… Read More

As part of the changes to the family justice system in England and Wales, the Government has announced their intention to make it the norm for children aged 10 and over to have access to the judge who is asked to make decisions about where… Read More

The summer holidays are almost upon us. For many that will mean sun, sea, sand and smiley faces. Spare a thought, however, for families experiencing the uncertainty of separation. Here are some tips and guidance to those families for whom… Read More

I was asked this question by a friend the other day. As a solicitor, I find I get asked legal questions by family and friends fairly regularly. Bizarrely, someone once asked me if he could fence off a piece of seemingly unused land and… Read More

I saw a question on an online forum recently which asked whether or not divorce mediation was compulsory. In very general terms, mediation is not compulsory in family law matters and is certainly not compulsory in divorce. Anybody can… Read More

Equalities minister, Sajid Javid, has announced that same-sex couples will be able to convert their civil partnerships to marriages from 10th December 2014. To do this, a couple will now have to attend a registry office and sign a… Read More

New charges have been introduced for using the Child Maintenance Service (formally the Child Support Agency or CSA). From 30th June 2014 the Department of Work and Pensions has been sending letters to parents currently using the CSA… Read More

Providing free advice and a download to help you divorce without a solicitor.

One topic that I regularly get asked about is around 'complying with divorce orders', so I thought it would be useful to pull together a number of frequently asked questions into one simple blog post. It depends what sort of Order you… Read More