Family law, relationships, separation & divorce: thoughts & comment
Ryan Giggs is the latest in a string of high profile footballers embroiled in court proceedings following the breakdown of his marriage. However, the case has received significant attention, not for the reasons behind the marriage breakdown, rather in relation to the financial separation and his contributions during the marriage. Giggs has announced that it... 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 →
The use of covert recordings in family proceedings has recently been highlighted after the President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, warned that this has become a topic of "growing significance". It seems that desperate parties are going to increasingly greater lengths to produce evidence that could sway a case in their favour, where... Continue Reading →
A separation can be one of the most stressful, distressing and disorienting experiences in life. There are new things to think about, different decisions to make, and steps that have to be taken alone, which can be daunting after years of sharing that burden with someone else. Separation is one of those traumatic events that... Continue Reading →
The importance of legal advice and wealth protection following a lottery win or large windfall. The Independent recently featured an article about Britain's youngest Euromillions winner and the detrimental impact that winning the lottery had on her life. Jane Park was 17 when she won £1m on Euromillions. She is now 21 and is planning... Continue Reading →
Generation Y: life in a disposable society, long-term relationships and the “starter marriage”. For Generation Y, sometimes “til we drift apart” seems to be more applicable than “til death us do part” when it comes to commitment. We now live in a disposable society where we are sold products and lifestyle choices that change on... 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 rapid growth of social media over the past decade has changed the way we communicate with each other, the information that we share and who we share it with. Social media is now an ordinary part of many people’s everyday lives and one inevitable result of this is the impact that it can have... Continue Reading →
Picking up the pieces 