Family Law Blog : Divorce & Separation

A High Court judge has warned against having a relationship while still fighting over the matrimonial money. Does his ruling signal a new approach by the courts? In a written ruling, Mr Justice Mostyn said dating before divorce was a “fly in the ointment” for family court judges asked to…

If one party in divorce proceedings feels they need financial support from the other, even before a full financial claim is settled or the divorce decree obtained it is possible to make an application to the court for something called ‘Maintenance Pending Suit.’ As this is quite a complicated legal…

In this day and age we may think that the stigma of getting a divorce is long gone, for many it is still there and we need to do something about that. The general view these days seems to be that divorce is socially acceptable. Whereas just a generation ago,…

Divorce ends a marriage completely, right? Well, it is the legal ending of a marriage but it’s not the legal severance of financial ties, for that you need a clean break. Having practised in divorce and family law for 20 years, the one aspect of my job which never ceases…

As a family lawyer working in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire I have been advising farmers and their families for many years, so I have a good understanding of the particular difficulties presented by divorce cases where a family farm is involved. And let me tell you, these cases can be very…

There has been considerable discussion of ‘conscious uncoupling’ in the media over the last few days. Some of it has been earnest, a little has been inspired, and the rest somewhat amused/bemused. This came of course from the announcement from actress Gwyneth Paltrow that her marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin…

I will often speak with a new client who says they have “reached an agreement” with their spouse in relation to how their assets should be divided on separation or divorce. I am told that they both accept that their marriage has broken down and have sat down together to…

The range of questions divorce solicitors are asked quite mind-boggling – and they are not always related to the legal profession. However, there is a small band of them that come round time and time again. So I thought it might be useful to try and address some of the…

This blog was written prior to the change in law in April 2022 which introduced no fault divorce. For advice on your personal circumstances take advantage of a free telephone appointment with one of our lawyers – book here. The quickest way to get through a divorce and keep costs…

It is a sad fact that however much two adults are hurt during a separation, invariably the children are hit even harder. As divorce solicitors, we hear a lot of their stories and it is always heart-breaking. It is something very private and personal so it was very brave of…

There are many things people may want to celebrate at the end of marriage. A new chapter starting. The end of an unhappy period in their life. The thought of a new relationship with someone who may turn out to be a better “fit”. However, there are probably more things…

As an experienced family solicitor I was more than a little surprised how different the skill set is for a mediator, when I trained with Resolution as a family mediator earlier this year. After years of being expected to give out advice and, dare I say it, rather liking the…