Blog
Is Section 40 of the Equality Act due a comeback?
Richard Fox
30 August 2018
The criminal offence of controlling and coercive behaviour: avoiding the potential pitfalls in family proceedings
The criminal offence of Controlling and Coercive behaviour in an intimate and family relationship should be of key significance to family lawyers. Family lawyers know all too well that allegations of harassment and domestic abuse are regularly raised in the context of a relationship breakdown - and instances of Controlling and Coercive behaviour from one partner or spouse towards the other may, once raised, play a significant role in both the divorce and any children proceedings. An allegation of Controlling and Coercive behaviour may give rise to a criminal complaint and an intrusive police investigation. Whether your client has accused their partner of Controlling and Coercive behaviour or is the subject to a police investigation following such an allegation, it is critical to synchronise the criminal and family law advice. This article provides guidance through the tricky and unpredictable process.
24 August 2018
Pressing pause on parenthood – the importance of understanding the facts about egg and embryo freezing
Egg freezing has hit the news headlines this month as doctors writing in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology raise concerns that women who undertake the process are being misled by clinics and not properly warned about potential low success rates.
16 August 2018
Alternative Dispute Resolution for disagreements over children: if it's good enough for Brangelina...
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's very public breakup has taken a different (and even more regrettable) turn in recent months with newspapers reporting on the apparently 'vitriolic' dispute over their children. The disagreement has allegedly arisen as Jolie is due to start filming Maleficent 2 in Europe while Pitt is committed to a new role in Los Angeles, making regular time with the children a near impossibility for the 'non-resident' parent. In addition, Jolie has claimed that Pitt has failed to provide ‘meaningful’ financial support. It has been suggested that mediation, one form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), was offered as a means to keep the matter out of court.
31 July 2018
Owens v Owens: a blow for ‘no fault’ divorce
All eyes were on the Supreme Court for their decision in the Owens v Owens case this week, when Mrs Tini Owens was denied the right to divorce her husband, despite describing her marriage as ‘unhappy’ and ‘wretched’.
18 July 2018
A partial victory for paying spouses, but maintenance for life lives on
Today saw the conclusion of the long running Mills v Mills saga, with the Supreme Court handing down judgment in the husband’s appeal. The Supreme Court had been asked to consider whether the court was entitled to decline to increase Mrs Mills’ maintenance payments to fund payment of all or some of her rent when her housing needs had been catered for in the original divorce proceedings.
