Cases in which one parent wants to move away with the children of the family are extremely difficult. In family law terms these are known as relocation cases and usually involve powerful arguments on both sides. For the parent whose children move away it may mean that they do not Read more…
It was reported in the news on 30th September 2014 that 180 divorces obtained by Italian nationals in the English Courts had been declared null and void. A firm based in Italy had been offering Italians a “quickie” divorce in this country to avoid having to wait the three year Read more…
The animal charity Blue Cross has introduced the world’s first ‘Pet Nuptial Agreement’ to deal with how pets are treated on divorce and separation. The law views pets as chattels i.e. possessions, rather than considering their welfare as the primary consideration. There is limited case law on the treatment of Read more…
The case of the seriously ill 5 year old boy Aysha King has been all over the news this week. From a family law perspective the case is interesting as, on 1st September 2014, Aysha was made a ward of court on an application to the High Court by Portsmouth Read more…
A Judge in Wales has been highly critical of a local authority which failed to return a nine year old boy to his mother’s care after she withdrew her consent to him being in foster care. The boy had been accommodated while his mother had treatment in a psychiatric unit. Read more…
The Government proposes to implement a Residence Test for people applying for Civil Legal Aid (ie not criminal legal aid). The Residence Test will limit legal aid to those with a “strong connection” with the UK. The Human Rights Joint Committee has prepared a Report particularly focusing upon the likely Read more…
This was one of the headlines in the news on Monday 23rd June on the BBC and in numerous broadsheet newspapers. A report carried out by two universities and funded by the Nuffield Foundation found that around one in three court applications by Local Authorities to take children into care Read more…
On 16th June a new law came into force criminalising forced marriage. The Home Office definition of forced marriage is ‘one in which one or both spouses do not consent to the marriage but are coerced into it through physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure’. The maximum penalty for Read more…
Reports suggest that the authorities anticipate a significant increase in cases of domestic abuse during the World Cup. The suggestion is that extended periods of higher than usual levels of drinking may well lead to an increase in the incidence of abuse within the home. What is not clear is Read more…
Since the cuts to legal aid for family cases in April 2013, there has been a rise in the number of companies offering loans to fund legal costs. These ‘litigation loans’ are only available for financial cases in which the client is likely to receive a settlement with which they Read more…