Naomi Hayward Partner & Collaborative Lawyer Furley Page January has long held the unofficial moniker of ‘Divorce Month‘ due to the customary influx of new divorce enquiries following the Christmas holiday season. 2022 was a year of great technological change for the divorce courts in England and Wales with the move to online divorce proceedings through the court’s new online portal. Yet, while technology is helping to modernise the process of divorcing, it can also present challenges for the couples who are looking to separate. With most of ..read more

Anthony Parrish Partner Jones Myers Sadly, we work with many clients who, along with their children, are victims of domestic abuse. Some flee the spousal home with little more than the clothes they stand up in while others stay and suffer in silence – because they fear losing any legal rights they may have. It is vital that you know there are injunctions you can take out which entail the Court making an order protecting you and your children from abuse or harassment by your partner/spouse and prevent them from living in your home. Non-Molestation Order An FL401 form enables you to apply for a ..read more

Caroline Elliott                                Partner                                      Roythorne Solicitors The first working Monday of each year is dressed up as a big day in which new divorce proceedings are started, but, despite the hype, Divorce Day is not as it seems. It’s not uncommon for couples to put their separation issues on hold during December so that the festive period is less disturbed, whether that’s ..read more

Lisa-Marie Leanders                      Partner                                          Nelsons Solicitors At the beginning of 2022, it was predicted that divorce rates could surge by more than 50% in the UK. The impact of pandemic lockdowns, pressures due to the cost of living increases and changes in legislation such as the no-fault divorce, could all be contributing factors to this. A top judge has recently raised the issue that ar ..read more

Megan Bennie Family Law Solicitor Furley Page While it may be tempting to think that no-fault divorce makes lawyers unnecessary to the process, this is far from the case. Taking advice from a solicitor, even if it’s only a single appointment early in the process, can ensure any application starts off correctly and stays on the right track so that it is ultimately concluded in a way that is as efficient and stress free as possible.  Following the introduction of ‘no-fault’ divorce in April 2022, one or both spouses now simply need to confirm the marriage has broken down ..read more

Fiona Ryans Solicitor Beecham Peacock Newcastle With the highly-publicised court proceedings between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, legislative changes in the UK leading to the implementation of the ‘no fault divorce’ system, and with the latest season of The Crown releasing on Netflix – focusing on the bitter divorce between Prince Charles and Princess Diana – Divorce has been a hot topic in 2022. To gain an accurate insight into how changes to the legislation and current events have affected the intentions of the public; family solicitors Beecham Peacock have analysed search data around divorc ..read more

Nigel C Winter Family Law Partner DMH Stallard But are they “legal”? Thank you for getting to the third part of this blog. Having come this far, you’ve come to terms with: – Why the Pre-Nuptial Agreement may not be as cheap as you’d hoped (typical of reputation of Lawyers – but hopefully the reason behind this is justifiable) Now you’ve also grappled with the notion that a “simple” document can, on occasion, be a wholly inappropriate and unfair document. Typical – you simply wanted some good, simple news and now we’re asking the ultimate question: – Are they actually “legal”? Well, no Lawyer ..read more

Nigel C Winter Family Partner DMH Stallard In the last article on the subject, I raised a query as to whether you want your Solicitor to be a professional or a “salesman”. The reason for this is due to a huge misunderstanding about Pre-Nuptial Agreements which are quite understandably seen as a simple document. They may be! And they may be not!! Why is whenever you go and see a Solicitor with a very simple and straightforward matter, they always complicate things and, predictably, you emerge with a far greater fee quote than you believed would be forthcoming from your online research. The choi ..read more

Nigel C Winter Family Partner DMH StallardPre-Nuptial Agreements Part One Undoubtedly, the answer to that question is to have a Pre-Nuptial Agreement. These are straightforward documents but are never, contrary to popular belief, merely a case of presenting your fiancé with a document and expecting them to sign it, thereby concluding the matter. The first issue to consider is perhaps the cost. Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer from a Lawyer? Well, in the first instance we are drawing up a document that may never be used but if it is, it is at an uncertain point in the future when ..read more

Chris Sweetman, Director Fair Results Fixed fee divorce firm Fair Result has been recognised as the Best Divorce and Financial Settlement Company by Acquisition International and The World Finance Awards. This is their second award obtained in June, they were also recently awarded by SME Legal News as the UK’s Most innovative Divorce and Family Law Firm. The World Finance Awards chose their winners last week. The awards have been shining a light on achievements within the finance industry since 2013, they welcome nominations from all areas of the finance industry to guarantee that the most d ..read more