Mesher Orders and Martin Orders are family court orders concerning arrangements for the family home after divorce. They are both named after cases in 1980 and 1978 respectively and were popular in the 1980s and 1990s as a way of protecting the interests of a less well-off spouse, along with the couple’s children in the …
Marital status changes the effectiveness of a Will. It is imperative to keep your will up to date to ensure your inheritance goes to your intended loved ones. MarriageIn England and Wales, when you marry any existing Will is automatically revoked (unless it includes a special reference to the intended marriage). If you die after …
What happens to a Will and your estate if you marry, separate or divorce? Read More »
‘Parenting Apart’ by Christina McGhee is a practical and positive guide for separated and divorced parents on how to raise a happy and secure child. In this blog I’ve extracted the key points from Chapter 4 of the book which focuses on how to change your relationship with the other parent so it becomes less …
How to communicate with your ex for a pragmatic outcome Read More »
One call relating to domestic abuse was made to the police every 30 seconds in the first seven weeks of lockdown in the UK, with reports including kidnapping, arson, poisoning and revenge porn in addition to violence and rape. Three quarters of women in abusive relationships suffered more violence from their partners during the pandemic, …
‘Familial bonding is too complex and too vulnerable a process to be managed in advance or from a distance by so gross and impersonal an instrument as the law.’ Conversely, mediation offers an informal, but structured process in which one or more impartial third parties assist disputants in talking about the conflict and in negotiating …
In the UK the number of households in the private rented sector increased from 2.8 million in 2007 to 4.5 million in 2017, an increase of 1.7 million (63%) . Although many tenants – especially those under 35 – enjoy the flexibility renting offers, the main reason for the increased number of tenants is the …
Are you in receipt of benefits and a Section 21 Notice? Read More »
A judge has ruled that landlords cannot reject tenancy applications because the applicant is on Housing Benefit (or Universal Credit). Why is this decision so important? Well, in January 2020 a YouGov survey for the charity Shelter found that an astonishing 63% of private landlords either operate an outright ban on letting to tenants receiving …
“No Benefits” letting bans ruled unlawful by the court Read More »
New laws that will spare divorcing couples from having to apportion blame – namely adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion – for the breakdown of a marriage are due to come in to force in 2021. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 aims to align divorce law with a forward-looking, non-confrontational government approach to family …
In 2013 “nearly two thirds of couples who attended a single mediation session for a child dispute reached a full agreement. Almost seven out of every ten couples who opted for mediation reached an agreement.” Source: Ministry of Justice 20 August 2014 Mediated (legal Aid) cases Non-mediated (legal aid) court cases Average cost £535 …
