Family law, relationships, separation & divorce: thoughts & comment
The term 'meal ticket for life' is the controversial expression used by the media to describe open-ended spousal maintenance in divorce cases, which is intended to be paid for the duration of the lives of the payee and recipient. This somewhat distasteful phrase has again been the subject of much interest and public debate, thanks... Continue Reading →
Ending a long term relationship or marriage is one of the most stressful things that you will go through in life. Holidays, time at home, family and Christmas pressure can cause the cracks in a relationship to show, or one or both of you may decide that a new year is the time to move... Continue Reading →
I featured in the Law Society Gazette's "My Legal Life" section this year. Below is the text of the article, which can also be viewed here. Growing up, I wanted to be a writer. I used to spend hours boring family and classmates with my storytelling. This grew into a leaning towards journalism after covering... Continue Reading →
Moving abroad is a huge decision which can often challenge even the most stable of relationships. Life in a new country can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Establishing a new social network can be challenging. If things don't work out, facing a separation whilst away from everything that is familiar to you can... Continue Reading →
In October, together with two YRes colleagues, I made the keynote speech at Resolution's annual Dispute Resolution conference. The article below summarises the key points of our speech, based around the changing needs of families of the future and how family lawyers can best support them. The family law landscape is in near-total flux. The... Continue Reading →
I am delighted to have qualified as a Resolution Accredited Specialist in family law, with particular expertise in Complex Financial Remedies and Children Law. This means that I am considered to be one of the leading experts in the field of family law, in particular in relation to finance and children matters, having been through... Continue Reading →
The calls for no fault divorce have grown louder this week after an Oxford judge has failed to allow a divorce to proceed. Tini Owens petitioned for divorce on the basis of her husband's unreasonable behaviour. The parties married in 1978 and have been separated two years. Mrs Owens moved out of the family home before... Continue Reading →
3 January 2017. The first working day of the new year. Supposedly, one of the “highlights” of every family lawyer’s calendar, when we allegedly see a year-on-year unprecedented increase in new enquiries about divorce and separation. Every year, we will read in the press of one or two law firms anticipating a huge rise in... Continue Reading →
The Brexit referendum takes place on 23 June. I can't help but look at this with my "family lawyer" hat on and consider what the implications would be for my day-to-day practice and my clients, whether based in England or abroad. Many international families would inevitably be affected by changes to our laws as a... Continue Reading →
Almost half of all marriages today will end in divorce. Financial freedom, access to education, advances in technology and moves towards gender equality are all factors which have changed our attitudes towards the longevity of marriage. For many, marriage is no longer a commitment for life and so divorce is becoming more of a commodity... Continue Reading →
Picking up the pieces 