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 […]

I have been asked this or a similar question many times by clients over the years since I qualified as a solicitor and specialised in family law.  It has always been an issue for those people who work irregular hours or in a shift pattern, such as police, fire fighters or nurses.  With a 24 […]

I have always found it difficult telling people what I do for a living. People just don’t quite know how to react to the news that I am a divorce lawyer. Perhaps this is the bad press that surrounds lawyers generally, the reputation of being sharks more concerned about fees than helping clients. Wanting to […]

All too often I come across people who are divorcing and decide not to obtain that all important financial order to save costs.  Less frequently, it is because they have reached an agreement, and already implemented that agreement so cannot see the point of paying for the court to approve an order.  More commonly, it […]

In the aftermath of the vote whether to remain or leave the EU, and the result literally dividing the UK, one may ask what effect leaving the EU will have on family law. Speaking following the EU referendum result, the Chair of Resolution, the organisation made up of family law professionals committed to resolving family […]