From 29 April 2024, separated parents will experience a new court process, namely ‘The Pathfinder Court’ which has been implemented in courts in the Southeast Wales region in relation to Children Act proceedings. The courts in the Southeast Wales region include Cardiff, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, Pontypridd and Blackwood. If your ‘local’ court is therefore one of the above-mentioned areas, the new procedure will apply to you. The new process has already been carried out in North Wales and Dorset with success. The aim of the new procedure is to try and expedite the court process for those involve ..read more

I celebrated my one-year qualification anniversary on 30 January 2024 and have been reflecting on what the last year (and first year post qualification) has been like with Lux. My qualification was marked with our Director, Charlotte Leyshon, taking me for a celebratory meal at Heston Blumenthal’s 3 Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray. The Sensorium tasting menu was outstanding and really did set the tone for the year! During my training contract and subsequently post-qualification, I assisted our Principal Director, Charlotte Leyshon, on the reported case of Traharne v Limb [2022 ..read more

The week of 22 – 26 January 2024 marks ‘family mediation week’. The aim is to raise awareness of the benefits to separating couples of exploring mediation, both to resolve arrangements for the children and their financial affairs, as opposed to via the court process. Mediation is known as alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”), which is conducted by a neutral third party (the mediator) who will assist the parties in facilitating discussions and helping them to achieve their separation in a more amicable manner. Here at Lux, we encourage couples to explore mediation first, if we feel it is suit ..read more

The festive period is fast approaching and is naturally an emotive time for all. For separated parents though, Christmas can be a time of high conflict and stress. Separated parents can face many difficulties when it comes to sharing the Christmas period. Difficulties can include: Deciding who the child(ren) will spend time with over the Christmas period. Managing the expectations of the child(ren). Communicating with the other parent. This can be particularly difficult if there is a history of conflict and/or abuse. Coming to terms with the possibility that one parent may not have direct con ..read more

The Nuffield Foundation undertook a recent study entitled “Fair Shares? Sorting out money and property on divorce”. The study shed light on how divorcing couples in England and Wales negotiate their financial arrangements and divide their assets, including the impact on divorcees when they don’t seek legal advice. Since the introduction of ‘no-fault’ divorce in April 2022, some divorcing couples have found that this has made the process more amicable and less fraught, in comparison to the procedure pre-April 2022.  Due to many divorcing couples wanting to keep their divorce and separation ..read more

In what many financial commentators have described as a surprise move, yesterday the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 5.25%. This is at odds with the past 14 reviews in a row where interest rates have increased each time. Although yesterday’s decision is likely to have been welcome news for many separating spouses, the current level of interest rates, coupled with a cooling housing market, continue to cause significant difficulties for many people separating. The difficulties faced are wide ranging and it would be impossible to cover each scenario as no two families’ circumstan ..read more

I had the pleasure of attending a Cardiff Business Club event this week, with guest speaker Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division and Chair of the Family Justice Council. We, at Lux, were thrilled to have the opportunity of sponsoring the event. It was insightful not only to learn from Sir Andrew’s experiences within family law, but also to discuss the topics with fellow practitioners. The night started with an introduction to Lux by Paul Thornburn, followed by a speech from our very own, Charlotte Leyshon. Charlotte introduced Sir Andrew and touched upon his roles and ..read more

The Guardian has recently reported that “Billions of pounds loaned by “the bank of mum and dad” to help with property purchases and to boost the finances of newly married offspring are helping to fuel rising levels of inequality, according to a thinktank.” (Guardian, 13 February 2023). It is becoming increasingly prevalent in financial remedy cases where one party (or both) has received significant financial support from their parents. For example, their parents have contributed towards the purchase of a property. This causes increased tension and difficulties upon the breakdown of a marriage ..read more

As many parents will be aware, A-Level Results Day is fast approaching on 17th August. For many of those students awaiting their results, they may also be persistently refreshing the UCAS website on the same day. This is most definitely an anxious time for all students, but it may also cause many parents to pause and consider the costs of their child’s tertiary education. Universities charge circa £9,250 a year for an undergraduate degree and alternative options such as student finance, bursaries and scholarships are not always suitable options. Furthermore, payments such as child maintenance ..read more

It was a fantastic opportunity to have been taken to see Beyonce in concert at the Principality Stadium by our director, Charlotte Leyshon (and have my first experience of a concert in a box!). After the concert, I began thinking about how essential it is to feel valued as an employee, especially in light of it being Mental Health Awareness week. Lux has a culture of supporting its employees and making each and every one of us feel valued for our success and hard work. From having our Christmas party at the glamorous Bob Bob Ricard restaurant in London, to having our regular team lunches out a ..read more