Family Law Blog
Comment on divorce & family law
By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday November 25, 2015 at 9:20 am
For divorce solicitors the approach of Christmas heralds a number of challenges and concerns. There’s the increase in calls from distressed parents unable to reach agreement about whether their children will spend Christmas Eve with them or their ex-partner. Then there’s the rush to complete and submit paperwork to the…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Tuesday November 10, 2015 at 11:55 am
Marriage, civil partnerships or divorce could result in a change of name for one or in some cases both parties. This page provides a useful checklist of who to contact.After changing your name you will need to tell everyone who needs to contact you, provides services to you, or has…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday October 14, 2015 at 1:53 pm
I came across some interesting figures this week. The average age at which women marry is 37.0 years, according to ONS, slightly lower than the male mean age of 38.6 years. Seem high? Well maybe not if I tell you that these figures relate to same-sex marriage. For hetero-sexual couples, the…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday September 23, 2015 at 2:00 pm
The recent case of Joy v Joy – Morancho and others reminds us once again that a full, frank and honest disclosure of your financial circumstances must be provided to one another and to the court before financial claims can be either negotiated upon or decided by the court. In…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday July 29, 2015 at 1:22 pm
The most recent ONS data on marriage and divorce revealed a fact as divorce lawyers we are all too aware of – divorce is on the up, and the increase is being driven by a rise in divorce amongst older people. Whilst the increase in overall divorce rates might be…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday November 26, 2014 at 9:32 am
There is all sorts of advice bandied around for those embarking on a divorce but what is the key thing divorce lawyers would say if they were asked for advice by a friend? Divorce Advice to a Friend – Video Decent divorce advice can be hard to come by. Divorce…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Wednesday November 12, 2014 at 2:00 pm
A recent report highlights the fact that fewer and fewer parents are being represented in cases concerning their children. But what is the true impact of this change. The report stated that from April – June 2014 60% of parents in dispute over their children attended Family Courts without legal…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Thursday May 8, 2014 at 10:00 am
An interesting debate has been hotting up over the last few weeks on the topic of fee-charging McKenzie friends in cases like divorce. It came after watchdog the Legal Services Consumer Panel published a report which calls for McKenzie Friends to be recognised as increasing access to justice and a “legitimate…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Thursday April 17, 2014 at 10:00 am
Applications from one divorced parent to move abroad with their children can have a devastating effect on fragile inter-family relations post separation. This may seem obvious but some ongoing research really does give an insight into how difficult it is. We blogged late last year on a study which threw…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Thursday January 9, 2014 at 9:00 am
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…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Thursday January 2, 2014 at 9:00 am
Helping couples reach a non-confrontational solution to their separation should be right at the top of priorities for a family law specialist when taking on a new client. Our professional code of conduct dictates we should aim to do this and the practices of the “Rottweiler” lawyer have no place…
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By Andrew Woolley, on Monday November 25, 2013 at 5:24 pm
For the uniformed, divorce probably still means going to court to sort it all out. As family lawyers, we know that is far from being a realistic picture. I would estimate that around 95 per cent of the cases we deal with at Woolley & Co, Solicitors get to a…
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