Floris Shoebridge

We’ve been closely following the case of Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, who have just won their battle in court to be granted a civil partnership. As well as the case raising questions around equality – until now only same sex couples have legally been allowed to enter into a civil partnership – there are ethical issues too.

The well-documented case of Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan has barely left the headlines whilst the court ruling continued as to whether or not the couple would be granted a civil partnership. Now the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favour of the couple, what could this mean for other couples in future?

National Reconciliation Day (2 April) yesterday reminds us of the importance of reconciling our differences, particularly for couples. We’ve all resorted to the fool proof “yes dear”, which promised to be the secret to a strong relationship in years gone by.

Author: Richard Middlehurst

The perplexing case last February of the millionaire mushroom farmer is set to become a test case for “ unreasonable behaviour “.

Recent research by Legal and General revealed that it’s ‘the bank of mum and dad’ that is the 10 biggest UK mortgage lender. As house prices rise, particularly in the South East, it means that more and more first and second time buyers are relying on their parents, either to provide a substantial deposit or to assist in the payment of Stamp Duty.

Author: Victoria Walker

The recent case of Sharp v Sharp which went to the Court of Appeal, deals with how assets should be shared for DINK’s * when the marriage has not been a long one and the contributions to the marital assets have been unequal.

Author: Floris Shoebridge

The English courts, and in particular London courts, have often been considered as being generous to the financially weaker party within financial proceedings and London is often referred to as the ‘divorce capital of the world’. The recent, widely reported case, which resulted in the 44 year old stay-at-home wife of a 61 year old City banker receiving a settlement sum of £483 million (41.5% of the overall assets) has done nothing to dissuade the use of this title.

Author: Nicola Conley

Many of us enjoy social media, sharing photographs and reading about the good times that people are enjoying with their loved ones. But have you thought that any information you share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram can be read and potentially used against you in your separation/divorce proceedings?

Authors: Nicola Conley & Tyne Harman

With the Easter holidays approaching you may be wondering about childcare arrangements and whether your child is old enough to be left on their own. What age do they need to be for it to be safe enough to leave them unattended? In truth, there is no law stating an age when you can leave a child on their own, however it is an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk of harm.

Author: Nicola Conley

Divorce is one of the most stressful situations that you can go through. It is emotional, causes much anxiety and your mind is in turmoil so you may not be thinking rationally. Whilst a lot of people start their divorce proceedings themselves by completing the forms on line, we often speak to people who have completed the documents incorrectly, and then face the added stress and burden of trying to rectify the errors.

Author: Tyne Harman

In the recent cases of Sharland and Gohill, the Supreme Court ruled that Mrs Sharland and Mrs Gohill could re-open their financial cases on the grounds of their ex-husbands’ fraudulent disclosure of their respective finances.

Author: Sarah Gillen

You might be surprised to learn that since 2005 cohabitation has increased by approximately 33% compared to an approximate 2% increase in marriage. Some of the reasons for this could be that people are giving higher priority to achieving financial independence, getting a foot on the property ladder or having children over marriage. In addition, there no longer appears to be any stigma attached to cohabitation or starting a family outside of wedlock. Even Prince William and Kate Middleton cohabited prior to marrying which would have been unheard of a generation before.

Author: Anne-Marie Webber

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduces many changes, including: ...

Author: Julie Watts

Pre-Nuptial Agreements aren’t just for the rich and famous. For many years now they have become more and more popular with couples from all backgrounds, particularly couples entering into a second marriage or those with inherited assets. However until now the status in divorce law in England and Wales of such agreements has been unclear.

A recent study shows that in 2013 unreasonable behaviour is cited in 47% of all divorces and adultery in just 15%. These figures differ from the 1970s when only 28% of divorce petitions were based on unreasonable behaviour and 29% based on adultery.

Dealing with your ex over summer holiday arrangements may have been difficult enough, but the start of the new school year with its busy school calendars could prove to be a bigger challenge.

With the passing of The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, which will allow same-sex couples to marry, an important consideration is what happens if they separate and/or divorce?  A pre-nuptial agreement between same-sex couples will help to prevent ugly breakups.

There has, for a long time, been a common misconception amongst non-married couples who live together, (especially if they have done so for a long time) that they become a common law Husband and Wife and have the same rights as married couples. This is false.

There is a common misconception that once an unmarried couple have lived together, (especially if they have done so for a prolonged period of time) they become a common law Husband and Wife and acquire the same rights as married couples. This is false.