Today, 2nd April 2013, marks the first working day of the changes in the provision of family legal aid. As of today therefore nobody will be able to receive legal aid for family law issues unless the case involves domestic violence (which in itself is a very stringent test); parents involved in local authority care [...]
Comment and advice on the latest legal issues, and answers to some of the questions we are often asked…
About Andrew_Smith
Solicitor in Family Law. Expert in all aspects of divorce, mediation and family financial matters.
Marital Agreements – Pre and Post Nuptials
The law relating to Pre (and post) Nuptial agreements in England and Wales is gathering apace and there have been a number of high profile cases which have reached the national news in the past few years. Coupled with the countless number of US sitcoms and dramas on our televisions referring to the “Pre-Nup”, it [...]
Fuzzy Logic – New Rules for Child Benefit
As of 7th January 2013, Child Benefit payments became dependant on an individual parent’s income and ceased to be a universal welfare payment paid to all parents with the care of a child. This means that people with annual income over a certain level will no longer receive automatic Child Benefit payments. For many parents [...]
Shared Parenting: A New Father’s Perspective
Two things have happened since my blog in June about the proposed changes to legislation on shared parenting. Firstly, my wife gave birth to our first child; and secondly, the Department of Education have introduced the wording for the amendment which provides the legal basis for shared parenting. I must say that a baby really [...]
Matrimonial Property: Needs and Agreements
On 11th September the Law Commission published a paper on the law relating to financial orders in divorce and dissolution of civil partnership. The document is 131 pages long, but you can read my summary of the main points here. The Law Commission is an independent body tasked with reviewing current law and making proposals [...]
The Never Ending Story Part III – also known as The Reform of Child Maintenance
Throughout my training and post-qualification, the child maintenance regime has always appeared to be in a state of flux (or “a shambles” depending on how cynical a person you are). It comes as a relief therefore that plans for an overhaul of the system are being proposed, as set out in the recent policy document [...]
Proposed Legislation on Shared Parenting – A Response
Following my blog last month “The Queen’s Speech – Changes in Family Law”, the Government has now published their consultation document for the proposals: “Co-operative Parenting Following Family Separation: Proposed Legislation on the Involvement of Both Parent’s in a Child’s Life” The stated aim of the legislation is “to reinforce the expectation generally that both [...]
The Queen’s Speech – Changes in Family Law
In the Queen’s speech reference was made to a change in family law to promote father-friendly access arrangements and introduce a legal presumption of shared parenting. This principle has been debated before and very recently in a report produced in November 2011. In that report a warning was issued to the government against such a [...]
