The Transparency Reporting Pilot, which was launched in Family Courts in Cardiff, Carlisle and Leeds last year and allowed journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases, has been deemed a great success and is to be extended. From 29th January 2024, a further 16 courts will now be included in the reporting scheme to boost public confidence and reduce waiting times. Thanks to the scheme, almost half of our courts will now allow journalists and ‘legal bloggers’ to report on Family law cases. Although families and social workers will be anonymous in any media, local authorities and some expert ..read more

On Friday 26th January 2024, the Government shelved their plans of making mediation mandatory for separating couples but would instead ensure parents are offered early legal advice to settle disputes, with mediation still being prioritised. In March 2023, the Government announced their plans to make mediation mandatory in low-level separation court cases, such as custody of children and financial arrangements. Former Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab suggested that by not attending Court, separating couples and their children would experience less stress and therefore their mental health would n ..read more

Our Family Law team are preparing for an increase in demand from separating parents as the school summer holiday comes to an end. The pressures of the six-week school holidays often mean a rise in the number of couples calling time on their relationship. The ‘picture postcard’ image of happy summer family holidays doesn’t ring true for many. Sadly, the time that unhappy couples spend together in the summer can deepen long-standing cracks. The six-week break from the usual routines places huge burdens on fragile relationships, with the costs and other pressures that come with extra childcare re ..read more

On 17th March 2023, the government announced plans to impose longer sentences on domestic abusers who kill their partners or ex-partners. The reforms follow an independent review by Clare Wade KC from March 2023, which set out a raft of recommendations to alter the sentencing position in relation to domestic homicides. In response to Clare Wade KC’s review, the government has set a number of actions, including: Introduce coercive and controlling behaviour and the use of excessive or gratuitous violence as aggravating factors within the sentencing guidelines; Launch a public consultation to co ..read more

It is not long until Christmas, and one of the most common enquiries from our clients is contact with their children over the festive period. Christmas can be a testing time between separated parents when trying to arrange who will get to see their child on the big day. Therefore, we thought it useful to provide some guidance for parents below. 1) Making the plans If you do not have plans in place, now is the time to broach the matter. Talk to your ex-partner and agree on arrangements that work for you all. It may be that you can agree on your child spending Christmas Eve at one home and retur ..read more

It is still the case that many people don’t know that there is no such thing as “common law” husband and wife. This very often means that, on separation, the financially weaker party has little or no protection in law when a relationship ends, irrespective of how long the parties have been together. In the majority of cases, the financially weaker party is the woman. Unlike on divorce, there is no mechanism in law for an ex-partner to be granted financial relief such as a property to live in, a lump sum, maintenance for themselves or to have a share of the other’s pension. If one partner has w ..read more

In recent times there has been the biggest change to divorce Law in England and Wales and since the Divorce Reform Act was passed. On the 6th April 2022, a no-fault divorce system was introduced.  This has been a long time coming as for over 30 years campaigners have been calling for an introduction of a no-fault base divorce.  There have been several concerning cases over the years of people being forced to remain in a marriage to incompatible and sometimes abusive partners. What does this mean for separating couples? The introduction of this law means that couples can get divorced ..read more

The findings of research commissioned by Aviva are shocking but probably not that surprising to most experienced divorce lawyers. The research suggests that 15% of divorced people did not realise that their pension could be impacted by getting divorced and that more than 1/3 of divorcing couples made no claim on their former partner’s pension. Many couples arrange their married lives such that one of the couple takes more responsibility for childcare and running the home whilst the other works and accrues pension savings to support them both in retirement. Even in marriages where both parties ..read more

As the Covid-19 vaccine is now available for children aged 12 or more (or from five if the child is high risk), disagreements are arising between parents, particularly those who are separated. Should your children receive the vaccination? This decision needs to be made jointly by anyone with parental responsibility and their consent provided before the jab can be administered. Resolving a vaccination dispute The issue of vaccinating children is not a new one, but it has, of course, come to the fore recently, given the ever-changing regulations around Covid-19. In the first instance, parents, o ..read more

We wanted to end Good Divorce Week on a positive note by talking about the benefits of mediation. As we’ve highlighted throughout this series of blogs, communication is the key to separating in a civilised manner and ensuring your children remain at the heart of all discussions. So how do you negotiate the many thorny issues that arise during a divorce with someone who inevitably won’t see eye-to-eye with you? As a mediator, I can appreciate how much couples gain from the process, regardless of how their relationship ended. By working with a neutral third party (me!), they have an opportunity ..read more