Blog
Keeping the peace at Christmas – top tips for shared parenting over the festive season
Lauren Evans
6 March 2017
No fault divorce – taking the blame out of divorce to reduce conflict and litigation
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).
21 February 2017
A call to arms for equal civil partnerships following Court of Appeal decision
More couples need to stand up, like Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, and demand the freedom to choose how to define their relationship. There are millions of unmarried couples in the UK and their ability to choose between marriage and civil partnership should not be determined by their sexual orientation.
26 January 2017
Surrogacy and separation – when relationships break down during the surrogacy journey
Starting a family can be a wonderful and emotional time for any family, but when parents have experienced fertility issues and their journey to parenthood has been longer and more difficult, this can leave people feeling sensitive and fragile. Many couples are turning to surrogacy to create their family and in some cases this follows years of trying to become pregnant. The decision to embark on surrogacy is a huge and important one and the surrogacy journey itself can also be stressful. Parents feel hopeful and anxious at many points, from starting a relationship with the surrogate to when embryos are created and transferred, when pregnancy tests are undertaken and when it comes to the birth and getting used to being parents. Having children brings fundamental changes to family life, which can at times put a strain on the relationship.
13 December 2016
Regulating Relations – parenthood through assisted reproduction in Australia and abroad
Whilst travelling in Sydney, I met Isabel Karpin and Michaela Stockey-Bridge of the University of Technology Sydney who, through Regulating Relations, are conducting the largest Australian research project of its kind: "Forming Families Inside and Outside of the Law".
28 November 2016
Delay in making a decree absolute — an exception rather than the rule
In this blog, originally published by LexisNexis, Jane Keir examines the court’s judgment in Thakkar v Thakkar and the ‘special circumstances’ in this case that delayed the granting of a decree absolute.
- Children
- Civil Partnerships & Co-habitation
- Divorce & Separation
- Financial Settlements
- International Adoption & Surrogacy
- International Family Law
- Mediation & Alternatives to Litigation
- Pre-nuptial & Post-nuptial Agreements
- Anglo French Family Law
- Legal Updates
- Reflections on The Split
- Child Relocation after Divorce or Separation