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Kingsley Napley’s Medical Negligence Team ‘walks together’ with the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity
Sharon Burkill
On the 21 April 2017, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially signed up to the Multinational Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.
At last I have something in common with Brad Pitt - both of us spent part of this week speaking about divorce and drinking. Brad Pitt stunned the critics by talking openly about the impact of his drinking on his marriage to Angelina Jolie. These very public and honest words embrace in part The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous by an admission through others of the nature of his wrongs and recognition that his life had become unmanageable.
Family lawyers currently aim to minimise the animosity caused by English fault-based divorce law by agreeing the wording of “unreasonable behaviour” petitions with the other party before they are filed at court. We want to reduce conflict and give our clients the best possible chance of reaching amicable agreements about their children and finances.
After several cases suggesting a sea of change and an end to "meal tickets for life", the recent case of Mills v Mills may have stemmed the tide. Maintenance orders for life can hold uncertainties for both the payer and the recipient. If you are the payer, what does maintenance for life really mean? If you are the recipient, could your maintenance be terminated or reduced in the future? Either party could be subject to a variation order in the future. Whilst we cannot dissect the decision in Mills v Mills without the judgment, in this blog we set out key practical points that anyone facing a variation application (whether the payer or the recipient) may find helpful to consider.
The debate surrounding our fault-based divorce system is not a new one. However, the recent case of Mr and Mrs Owens, in which Mrs Owens appealed the court’s decision to reject her divorce petition, demonstrates the need for urgent family law reform.
Currently, in order to petition for divorce one party is required to prove that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. This can be evidenced by adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion or separation (of two years with the consent of both parties, or of five years without consent).
Sharon Burkill
Natalie Cohen
Caroline Sheldon
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