Friday May 28, 2010 at 4:10pm
It is often the little things that can bring situations to a head. Admittedly, sometimes it’s the equivalent of invading Poland that sets in motion a chain of events, but more often than not it is the clothes left on the floor, toothpaste squeezed around the sink or the toilet seat up. So this is a warning to couples ahead of the World Cup: don’t let football be the decisive penalty in an emotional shootout.
Divorce lawyers – me not included – are rubbing their hands at t....
Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 4:33pm
When I established Woolley & Co in 1996, I wanted to create a
family law specialist that was a bit different. I wanted to break away from the traditional mould to build a firm around the needs of the customer, doing away with town centre offices and using the latest technology to interact with them and each other. That meant emailing documents and using the internet as a shop window for our services, with transparent pricing in plain English. Nearly 14 years later and few in the industry hav....
Tuesday May 25, 2010 at 4:21pm
Our long-awaited Diary of a Divorce blog is now live. The episodic diary will follow a Woolley & Co client as she goes through the process of
getting a divorce from her estranged husband. The idea is not just to demonstrate the course that needs to be charted and the professional services that may be needed along the way, but also gives an insight into the swiftly changing emotions someone goes through. Follow the diary here and please do add your comments as we are hoping it will develop in....
Saturday May 22, 2010 at 9:00am
There are lots of reasons to get married of course, mostly emotional or even spiritual. I have some vague memories of law school when it used to be a reason to get married to get a significant tax allowance.
But romance has hit the heights again in the Inland Revenue and marriage can save significant amounts of inheritance tax. How romantic is that?! It applies to civil partnerships and married couples. It is worth considering especially if you are of a certain age.
The Direct Gov website....
Friday May 21, 2010 at 5:14pm
Those researchers have been at it again. Finally they claim to have discovered the secret to a happy marriage. And is it down to the man – being miserable. How this works in civil partnerships, I don’t know but for your average married couple, they are less likely to divorce if the man of the house doesn’t enjoy himself too much. You can add in your own jokes here about lives being made a misery and grumpy old men, but the study looked at tens of thousands of couples in Britain....
Friday May 21, 2010 at 8:43am
The media often campaigned in the past for the family and divorce Courts to be open to reporting. In the past they were totally closed.
Of course, nobody would want to see children identified, it is often said. How true could that be if they are the children of celebrities who seem to divorce very regularly and often much more spectacularly than the majority?
The last government "opened up the Courts" and allowed media access with safeguards. But there were problems from the st....
Thursday May 20, 2010 at 4:55pm
A new study by the LSE shows that men who do little housework are in very much greater danger of divorce.
Is this stating the obvious? I read in comment in The Times online that people thought it was. It does look obvious. But isn't there a very big difference between knowing the obvious and doing something about it? I do wonder if the housework is sort of incidental, it could be anything that shows the female partner that she is valued, being noticed and thought about perhaps? I say this....
Thursday May 20, 2010 at 8:40am
Toasters and crockery used to be de rigueur. Household appliances, home furnishings and honeymoons were commonplace. Nowadays though, we are told, all that has changed. A new survey for Wedding magazine has revealed that an increasing number of couples are shunning wedding lists in favour of cold, hard cash. Nearly half (45 per cent) of couples would prefer their guests to give them money, with just 29 per cent still drawing up a traditional list and just over a quarter requesting honeymoon vouc....
Friday May 14, 2010 at 10:43am
Choosing a
family lawyer can be a daunting task. Before you reach for the Yellow Pages, here are a few tips to ensure that you find the best lawyer for you and your family. Do you like them? Most
family lawyers are happy to have a short consultation with you free of charge. All should at least offer a telephone chat so you can get an idea of the type of person you will be dealing with. You will need to work closely with your family lawyer, trust his or her judgement and guidance at times of deep....
Wednesday May 12, 2010 at 4:01pm
So the results are in and the deals are done. All that remains now is to see some policies. The Dave and Nick show has gone live and they have bound themselves together for five years, as if about to embark upon a marathon three-legged race. At least that means there will be no secret on when the next general election will be. First Thursday in May, 2015. You heard it here first. They could end up tripping each other up though. Despite my reservations, I do have high hopes of something positive ....
Tuesday May 11, 2010 at 1:27pm
So after all the hype, here we are, no further forward. Perhaps even two steps back. I don’t think too many of us are surprised at the “result”. It was almost inevitable that the election would lead to a hung Parliament but still I held out hope we might get a decisive vote, rather than a score draw. Not to be. The constant news coverage continues with the political commentators seemingly about to wet themselves with excitement, or so it has seemed at some points over the last ....
Friday May 7, 2010 at 9:58pm
As I write this, the results from the general election are still being discussed. It looks like Conservatives will try to form a government. What this means for the family issues that each party has promised, pledged or alluded to, is unclear. I think I’ll wait until the dust settles a bit before having my say on that, so watch this space. But I did have the idea that this was quite a timely point to set down a type of manifesto of my own. Well, perhaps less a manifesto and more a six-poin....
Friday May 7, 2010 at 10:39am
There are so many different decisions which need to be made when a relationship ends. The hardest one is no doubt the decision that the relationship is over – but the consequences of this will doubtless touch all aspects of your life. Marriage isn’t for everyone but those who choose not to take the plunge should bear in mind that they need to plan and protect to a much greater degree. It’s all in the planning I advise all cohabiting couples to enter into a Living Together....
Tuesday May 4, 2010 at 4:02pm
There is nothing more frustrating than collective wisdom. I guess that’s a posh phrase for it, but I am referring to an idea that someone clings to as an absolute because lots of people believe it - or someone has told an individual that it is true and they pass it on to others. The reality is that it is often not worth the paper it’s not written on. After all, rumours survive and Chinese whispers are bound by these same rules – but they have no basis in law. Take for example, ....