Christmas Separation Seasonal and festive holidays like Christmas are seen as a time for joy and happiness. However, for separating couples and spouses, this is not the case. It can lead to feelings of isolation and deep upset throughout the festive period. Betteridges have put together our top tips for surviving this Christmas Period: Talk to your friends and family about how you feel Many legal professionals close over the Christmas period. Therefore, use the time to talk to your friends and family about how you are feeling. You will find those around you are able to offer different perspe ..read more

28 November 2022 to 2 December 2022 This years ‘Good Divorce Week’ is being hosted by Resolution Resolution’s annual campaign for ‘Good Divorce Week’ seeks to promote amicable divorce and separations. Betteridges Solicitors are proud members of Resolution. This year’s campaign  highlights the crisis of the Family Courts and promotes the use of alternative dispute resolution methods away from Court: https://resolution.org.uk/campaigning-for-change/good-divorce-week-2022-ending-the-family-Court-crisis/ The Family Courts are experiencing huge back logs which has led to significant issues in ..read more

To help answer any questions you may have we’ve put together an overview of the divorce process in England and Wales. As you will see there is a set legal procedure to follow and many forms to fill in along the way – all of which must be correct in every detail. Whilst this all might sound a bit daunting, don’t worry, here at Betteridges we are here to guide you from start to finish. What is the No-Fault Divorce? The No-fault Divorce eliminates the need to place fault in one party. This means you and your spouse agree that your marriage is beyond repair. It is a much more straightforward and a ..read more

    The introduction from 6 April 2022 of the No Fault Divorce has already been welcomed by many as a much more amicable way to divorce. This is the biggest reform in Divorce Law since the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. Previously, divorcing couples had to assert blame or one of the following reasons: You have been separated for at least 2 years, and your partner consents. You have been separated for at least 5 years, and your partner’s consent is not required. Your partner has committed adultery. Unreasonable behaviour in that your partner has behaved in such a manner that you canno ..read more

DIVORCE POST BREXIT     For many people starting divorce proceedings, there can be questions as to what country or court has the official power or “jurisdiction” to deal with the proceedings. As with many areas of our day-to-day life, Brexit has had an impact on this! From 1 January 2021 onwards the grounds for “jurisdiction” to start divorce proceedings in England and Wales have been slightly varied to add sole domicile as a ground to demonstrate the courts have the power to deal with the divorce. The possible grounds to establish jurisdiction for divorce in England and W ..read more

DIVORCE POST BREXIT For many people starting divorce proceedings, there can be questions as to what country or court has the official power or “jurisdiction” to deal with the proceedings. As with many areas of our day-to-day life, Brexit has had an impact on this! From 1 January 2021 onwards the grounds for “jurisdiction” to start divorce proceedings in England and Wales have been slightly varied to add sole domicile as a ground to demonstrate the courts have the power to deal with the divorce. The possible grounds to establish jurisdiction for divorce in England and Wales are: Both parties t ..read more

COVID vaccinations are now available for over 18s, and it is anticipated this could be expanded to include children by late summer this year. This means those with parental responsibility will need to consider whether or not their child should be vaccinated. Vaccinating children is not compulsory in England, and those with parental responsibility for a child need to make the decision jointly. An application to court can be made for a specific issue order if those with parental responsibility disagree on whether or not a vaccination should be given to a child. The court will consider whether or ..read more

We are all experiencing the ongoing consequences of the national health pandemic, and many are facing salary cuts and redundancy. If you are a non-resident parent, this may leave you worrying about how to meet your obligation to pay child maintenance. The legal position, and what you can do, depends on how you are currently making payments. Scenario One – Voluntary Payments You and the other parent may have a voluntary agreement on the amount you pay. If so, we suggest the first step is to contact the other parent and notify them of the change in your circumstance and put forward a plan for ho ..read more

Many families are currently in the difficult position of deciding whether or not to go abroad this summer. This can be even more difficult for separated parents who may have different ideas on whether this is appropriate and in the children’s best interests, taking on board the on-going COVID-19 concerns. The legal position, subject to government travel restrictions in place at the time, depends on whether or not there is a child arrangements order in place. You will need the permission of everyone with parental responsibility for the child in question, or a court order giving permission, befo ..read more

Arbitration: What is arbitration? Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution, and is available in both family financial disputes or child arrangement disputes. The parties enter into an agreement where they appoint a qualified person, the arbitrator, to make a determination in their dispute. The parties agree that the arbitrator’s decision will be binding on them both. The arbitrator will apply the same law that a Judge would apply in Court proceedings. Arbitration is therefore an alternative to Court proceedings, but should be a much speedier process as the parties can choose the ..read more