Family Law

I saw a question on an online forum recently which asked whether or not divorce mediation was compulsory. In very general terms, mediation is not compulsory in family law matters and is certainly not compulsory in divorce. Anybody can… Read More

Equalities minister, Sajid Javid, has announced that same-sex couples will be able to convert their civil partnerships to marriages from 10th December 2014. To do this, a couple will now have to attend a registry office and sign a… Read More

New charges have been introduced for using the Child Maintenance Service (formally the Child Support Agency or CSA). From 30th June 2014 the Department of Work and Pensions has been sending letters to parents currently using the CSA… Read More

Providing free advice and a download to help you divorce without a solicitor.

One topic that I regularly get asked about is around 'complying with divorce orders', so I thought it would be useful to pull together a number of frequently asked questions into one simple blog post. It depends what sort of Order you… Read More

Flexibility is often the key to a successful step-family. But how do you continue to look after all parties when you die? Having a properly drafted will allows you take account of potentially competing interests and look after all… Read More

What used to be called Custody and Access orders, which have since been termed Residence and Contact orders, will soon be replaced by Child Arrangements Orders. On 22nd April 2014, the Children and Families Act 2014 will replace the… Read More

Historically, family lawyers may have answered these two questions with 'no' and then 'what's the point'? In the past few years however, case law has developed such that pre-nuptial agreements have become more enforceable, subject to… Read More

Recent figures produced by the Office for National Statistics show that in the last ten years, the number of married couples living together with dependent children has decreased, whilst the number of non-married couples living together… Read More

The first same sex couples will be able to tie the knot on 29th March 2014 as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act comes into force. This is one of many pieces of legislation introduced by the Coalition Government which has, in the… Read More

Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings to become a mandatory requirement. Early last week, Parliament considered the Children and Families Bill. Within the Bill is a proposed change to the law concerning Family Mediation and the… Read More

We start the New Year with England controversially opening its borders to Romanian immigrants, amidst the release of net migration figures from when the Labour Government was last in office, amounting to a population twice the size of… Read More