You will regularly hear people refer to the terms common law partner, or common law husband or wife. I’ve even seen it used on official forms, for example by insurance companies. Unfortunately, it is a very misleading concept and for anyone who lives with their partner and considers themselves to…
Starting a new relationship after divorce or separation has the potential to create a complex dynamic, particularly if you have children with your ex-partner. So long as both you and your former partner continue to have parental responsibility for your children, you will both be entitled to have a say…
The rights of parents and especially fathers to spend time with their children after a couple separate can be a highly complex and emotive issue. It’s unfortunately common to hear tales of fathers who are being denied the right to access their children, leading them to question what rights they…
Archers fans may be reeling with the death of Nic Grundy, but there’s another issue that’s been exercising the minds of family lawyers in recent weeks. How are Pip Archer and Toby Fairbrother going to manage as parents? And how much of their legal responsibility they have yet come to…
Isn’t it about time the divorce laws of England and Wales came into line with Australia, Sweden and Japan, to allow for no fault divorce? The recent widely publicised family law case of Owens v Owens illustrates why this change is so needed. Mrs Owens sought a divorce on the…
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…
As a divorce and family lawyer whenever a new client approaches me for advice on reaching a divorce settlement with their ex I find myself reminding them what a valuable asset a pension is. A pension is often the second most valuable asset anyone will ever hold (next to their…
If you have decided your marriage is over you will most probably want to make the whole process of divorce as painless as possible. Contrary to public perception not all divorces have to involve outright war leaving a trail of destruction and despair. With the right divorce lawyer you should…