The case of Tini Owens and her husband, Hugh, hit the headlines recently after the appeal courts refused to allow Mrs Owens a divorce based on his alleged behaviour. The case surprised both the legal fraternity and the general public. Generally, divorce petitions are not defended as, by the time a marriage has broken down, […]
In the recent high profile court case a judge unanimously ruled in favour of Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan who wanted legal recognition of their relationship without the trappings of marriage. While this judgment still has to be enshrined in law (i.e. it’s still not a legal entity for heterosexual couples) it’s a good time to […]
If you’re separated or divorced eventually there will be the issue of holidays to tackle. It doesn’t matter which parent wants to take the kids away for a break, you can’t just go. Parents are often surprised to discover that, in most cases, they have to get consent from the other parent to take the […]
When a partnership breaks down and there are children involved, everything can get complicated. When both partners want the children to live with them it can be an emotional minefield. Just because you don’t want to be together any longer doesn’t mean that you don’t love your kids. Even with shared care, life is going […]
After financial matters were resolved and Decree Absolute was pronounced, Jamie said, with feeling “That’s it, I’m never going to trust a woman again.” I had to smile to myself, I’d heard this before and it’s quite natural after a hard-fought case. So, when around ten months later he booked another appointment with me, I […]
I could see Tracy was nervous when she sat down in my office. It was our first meeting as she had booked an initial fixed fee consultation and she was clearly worried. “Tell me about your situation,” I invited her – and the floodgates opened. She was in a relationship that clearly wasn’t working to […]
When you’re separating the bills double to support two households so it can be very tempting to do a DIY divorce. But before you decide to tackle the process yourself, make sure you know about the pitfalls. A ‘cheap’ divorce Look online and there are lots of websites offering quick and easy divorces for well […]
When a relationship breaks down the parting of the ways is often painful and difficult. That’s where mediation comes into its own. With Family Mediation Week taking place from 22-26th January, it’s a good point to explore the role of mediation in smoothing the path to the end of a relationship. Mediation won’t be appropriate […]
When there are special occasions, parents who are separated can feel the pinch. Christmas is probably the most emotionally charged and, regardless of what was agreed at the time of a divorce or separation agreement, it’s natural that parents want to spend the festive celebration with their kids. If this can be achieved in an […]
When you move in together the last thing on your mind will be future problems. However, the nature of any relationship is that there are compromises and there are all kinds of reasons why a cohabitation agreement makes good sense. A cohabitation agreement can set out the structure for your relationship in relation to […]
