Family law, relationships & divorce: thoughts & comment
A recent Court of Appeal case has the potential to change the landscape of arbitration in family law. With the court backlog worse than ever as a result of Covid-19, out-of-court settlement options, such as Early Neutral Evaluations, Private FDRs and Arbitration are seen as increasingly attractive prospects for separating couples, who would like to... Continue Reading →
Over the last couple of weeks, I have many clients getting in touch with concerns regarding the arrangements for their children in the current climate. The fight against Covid-19 has seen the Government bring in unprecedented measures which are having serious implications on our ability to live our normal lives and are disrupting family arrangements... Continue Reading →
In arguably one of the highest-profile family law cases for decades, the Supreme Court has today ruled that a wife must remain married after her husband objected to a divorce. Mr and Mrs Owens' case hit the headlines when Mrs Owens appealed the court's decision not to allow her divorce to proceed, when it was... Continue Reading →
On 21 September 2017, I chaired the inaugural National YRes Conference, for junior family law practitioners under 10 years qualified, and delivered the opening speech. Below is a copy of the message I gave to our delegates: Welcome everyone to the inaugural National YRes conference. We are delighted to have a full house today and... 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 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 →
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 →
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 →
Alongside the day job, I am actively involved in Resolution, the membership organisation for family lawyers. I have been a Resolution member since my student days and joined the Bristol Young Resolution committee as a family trainee. I became chair a couple of years ago and was involved in setting up a national YRes working... Continue Reading →
Picking up the pieces 