Family, Children & Divorce

The Family Procedure Rules have been updated to improve the level of attendance by divorcing couples at mediator initial assessment meetings (MIAMs). The government has introduced the changes because the previous rules were not applied to the extent expected and did not divert couples away from court proceedings and towards mediation to the degree that

The government has announced a clampdown on parents who refuse to take financial responsibility for their children and fail to make maintenance payments. Ministers are consulting on proposed reforms of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to improve the system so more children get the financial support they are due. The reforms include ending the option

From 29th April 2024, there are significant changes to the Family Procedure Rules, promoting the court’s powers to encourage parties to attend non-court dispute resolution at every stage in proceedings, for matters involving children and/or a financial dispute.     The court will require parties to file and serve Form FM5, setting out their views on

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