Blog
What is your duty to co-operate with your regulator?
Zoe Beels
22 January 2018
Parental alienation and intractable contact disputes – when all seems lost
Occasionally, as a family solicitor, I come across a case that makes me despair. Thankfully, it’s rare but that feeling overwhelmed me when I read the child contact case of Q and R (Intractable contact). Before I explain why, I must be clear that this piece does not intend to direct any criticism at the learned judge or the majority of the professionals who ably assisted her. Reading through the judgment it is clear that the judge was faced with an impossible dilemma:
21 December 2017
Surrogacy and Parental Orders - welcome news for single applicants
At the beginning of December, we received the welcome news that a remedial order, amending the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (HFEA), is being laid before Parliament. The impact of the order, when it comes into effect next year, will be to allow single parents in the UK to apply for a Parental Order for their child born through surrogacy.
19 December 2017
Children, divorce, narcissism and parental alienation - the perfect storm
I have for many years been representing people coming out of marriages where the other party is or is believed to fall somewhere on the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) spectrum. The majority of these cases involve children and it is a miserable reality of family law that children often become the battleground in their parents’ drama.
5 December 2017
Expat divorce in Dubai – the challenges of child relocation and navigating UAE residency visa options
We represent expatriate families going through marriage breakdown in the UAE in respect of their rights or indeed risks if their divorce takes place in England. The first question that we are usually asked is “Should I stay in Dubai or should I go back to England?” The response is usually to ask “Can you stay or must you go?” In the UAE, residency is based on sponsorship by either an employer or a spouse and without a sponsor you cannot legally reside in the UAE. It gets worse, particularly when children are involved.
24 August 2017
Divorcing, fast and slow
We live in an increasingly fast-paced and impatient society. We can communicate with each other instantly, by email, text, social media and FaceTime. At the click of a button, we can purchase and download movies, music and annoyingly addictive games to our smart phones. Our lives are incredibly busy and we are always looking for a shortcut, an express queue or a fast-lane.
