It has been widely reported this week in the mainstream media that a couple had their divorce finalised in error following a mistake by solicitors which a senior judge has refused to overturn. The couple were separated and had applied for a divorce which had reached conditional order stage of the divorce. It would appear
Termination of Parental Responsibility is rarely made by the Court and only ever in exceptional circumstances. Following a recent private family law case acting for a mother who successfully obtained a termination of Parental Responsibility order to end the father’s Parental Responsibility, we asked Laura Martin-Read, Senior Associate Solicitor to explain what Parental Responsibility is
The husband of the late Dame Barbara Windsor, Scott Mitchell, has been named the People’s Champion of the National Mission to Beat Dementia. The appointment comes alongside £6 million in funding to boost clinical trials and innovation to detect and treat the disease early. The ‘Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission’ was launched in August 2022,
More than 500 households will no longer be subject to terms that cause their ground rents to double, after eight more firms agreed to remove problematic clauses from their leasehold contracts. Their decision follows action by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Some leasehold contract terms, which kick in every 10 or 15 years, can
The High Court has settled a dispute relating to how much of a couple’s assets should be considered matrimonial and how much should be excluded during divorce proceedings. The case involved a couple who ran a hotel business together. The husband was 49 and the wife was 56. They had been married for 17 years
Latest Government figures show that 42% of people now get divorced. Frequently, one or both of them will have an interest in a business. Divorce can have a disastrous impact. It is therefore important to take good legal advice. The law states that on separation, all the circumstances of the case must be taken into
Separating couples will get early legal advice as part of the Government’s family court reforms, but the idea of introducing mandatory mediation has been scrapped. A legal advice pilot will be launched to help families agree child arrangements quickly, addressing barriers to early resolution including a lack of understanding of the options available such as
The number of ‘No Fault’ divorce applications has fallen significantly following the initial surge when the new system came into effect in 2022. Government figures show that in July to September 2023, there were 27,290 divorce applications. That was down 12% compared with the same quarter in 2022, which was the second quarter following the
The High Court has settled a dispute between three brothers over the inheritance of the family farm. The court heard that the brothers had all worked on the farm for most of their lives having been given assurances by their father, Albert, and mother, Brenda, that they would inherit equal shares. Richard Winter and Adrian
Television personal finance expert Martin Lewis has urged people to set up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). He stressed that they provided crucial protection, not just for the elderly but for the young as well. Mr Lewis told viewers on his ITV show: “This is really important. A power of attorney is more important