Parents may refuse medical treatment for their child in situations where they have concerns about the potential risks associated with the treatment. They may also have personal or religious beliefs that influence their decision. There may also be a desire to explore alternative treatment options such as homeopathy treatments. However, parents do not have an absolute or irrefutable right to refuse medical treatment for their child. Their wishes can be overruled by the Court in England and Wales. What if parents disagree on medical treatments for their child? This depends on the nature of the de ..read more

In 2023, I moved to England from New Zealand and am practising family law as a Registered Foreign Lawyer (New Zealand Qualified).  This article sets out my observations so far, between the family law systems in New Zealand and England/Wales. As New Zealand was colonised by Britain, it is no surprise that New Zealand inherited the English common law tradition and constitutional framework. However, as England/Wales and NZ evolved as two separate countries, the legal systems also developed in different directions in order to keep up with societal needs. In this article I provide a general ov ..read more

We are looking an ambitious family law Solicitor to join our expanding Berkhamsted team. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an award-winning team and continue your family law career, alongside industry leading family law specialists. THE ROLE: You will work on an interesting case load of all aspects of family law. You will play an active role in Business Development. You will be expected to be an ambassador of the firm and work with the team to promote Rayden Solicitors as well as your own professional practice both at internal and external events and should be comfortable doing so. REQ ..read more

The divorce process in England & Wales has recently gone through a radical transformation. The introduction of the no-fault divorce process in April 2022 allows couples to divorce without needing to cast blame on the other party for wishing to separate. However, where does this leave personal and financial conduct, or ‘bad behaviour’, and the potential repercussions in financial settlement proceedings?  What constitutes ‘Bad Behaviour’ in a divorce? After 2022, there is no requirement to prove wrongdoing when applying for a divorce. Instead, a simple statement as to the irretrievable ..read more

We are delighted to announce the latest promotion to our Partner team.  Former Legal Director Nicola Caffery, based in the Harpenden office is promoted to Partner with effect from 1st April. Nicola has had a long career at Rayden Solicitors, having joined the business over 13 years ago in 2011.  When Nicola first joined our team she was working temporarily as a Legal PA, based in the St Albans office.  She had already completed her LPC and quickly moved across into a Paralegal role, and then began her route to qualification as a family lawyer.  Initially Nicola qualified as ..read more

Rayden Solicitors is delighted to announce the latest round of annual promotions across the team. Legal Director Nicola Caffery has been promoted from Legal Director to Partner, you can read more about Nicola’s appointment here. Georgina Allen and Claire Howard, formerly Associate Solicitors, have been promoted to Senior Associates, and Bhini Phagura, Nusrat Siddique and Danielle Nuttall, formerly Solicitors, have been promoted to Associate Solicitors.  These promotions are all effective immediately. We are also delighted that Molly Thompson from our Birmingham office has joined the ranks ..read more

I recently presented to a conference of Australian Family Lawyers my “Letters from London – what Australian Family Lawyers need to know about English Family Law”. However, as I discovered during the conference there is also a great deal we can learn from our antipodean cousins. This article explores some of what I, as an English Family Lawyer, got to know about Australian Family Law. Some of our differences are well known. One headline being that whilst in England we have no codified laws governing financial division when cohabitees separate, in Australia de facto partners have similar financi ..read more

We are an award winning specialist family law firm, top ranked for family law by the Legal 500 and Chambers UK. We are offering training contracts for our Epping, Hampstead, Harpenden and London Bridge offices to start in September 2024. THE ROLE The Trainee Solicitor will: Carry out the duties given to him/her by partners or employees of the Firm faithfully and diligently and follow all reasonable instructions; Treat all information about the Firm and its clients and their business as wholly confidential; Deal properly with any money or property entrusted to the Trainee Solicitor; Keep a pr ..read more

Many of our clients at Rayden Solicitors raise queries about inheritance. In fact, the question crops up in different contexts: Some wish to know how sums of money and properties inherited by themselves or their ex-partner during the course of their marriage will be treated. Some sadly experience the passing of a close relative after the marriage (or during divorce and financial settlement). Some anticipate that they or their ex-partner shall receive an inheritance in the future. It is natural to think of our inheritances as gifts to us. That said, there is no hard and fast answer to the tre ..read more

The decision to commence divorce proceedings or formally separate is dependent on the circumstances of the parties together with their beliefs as well as the needs of the family. In this blog, Trainee Solicitor, Shammi Ruprah discusses the differences between divorce and separation.  What is separation? Separation can be an appropriate middle ground in lieu of divorce or dissolution. It does not extinguish the marriage but allows parties to live separately. Living separately is not necessarily physical and could involve remaining in the same house but leading distinct lives from each othe ..read more