Legal Article
26/10/21
At present, if you have been separated from your spouse for less than 2 years and wish to move forward with a divorce, you must satisfy the court that the marriage has broken down irretrievably based upon one of 2 facts. Your spouse has committed adultery, or they have acted in such a way that the court…
Legal Article
22/10/21
The Law Society has recently puplished a review on Legal Aid. Worryingly the number of providers of civil legal aid has reduced in the last ten years. Even more worrying is that only 25% of the population are now eligible for legal aid. More people than ever before are representing themselves in…
Legal Article
05/10/21
On 23 April 2021 the Domestic Abuse Bill 2019/21 received royal assent . Within that, the definition of domestic abuse has been defined to go beyond physical and sexual abuse to include economic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. The Act also recognises children as victims if they see, hear…
Legal Article
29/09/21
We often have clients wanting to have "custody of their children". This terminology is American and is probably adopted from Hollywood movies. The UK terminology used to be residence and contact; however, the courts have moved away from this. Out of fairness the terminology now refers to a &…
Legal Article
23/09/21
The Covid 19 pandemic has led to an increase in homeworking. For this reason, many families have taken to expanding their families with pets as they've been more readily available to spend time with them and look after them. This has often been a conscious decision to also help with stress and well-…
Legal Article
27/07/21
In April 2022, the new law on no-fault divorce will come in to affect in England and Wales. This is a long-awaited change to an area of law which has remained unchanged since 1973. Under the no-fault divorce, separated couples will no longer need to rely on one of the current five facts in order to…
Legal Article
30/06/21
When families separate it is always a difficult and stressful period for all involved particularly for the children and their extended families. As a result of a family breakdown grandparents can ultimately miss out or be excluded from vital contact with their grandchildren. Whilst the parents of…
Legal Article
17/06/21
Upon facing the realities of a marriage breakdown, our family law team find that clients main concerns are that of the matrimonial finances. Whether you are the party wanting to protect assets or the party in a more vulnerable financial position, you will want to know what a financial agreement will…
Legal Article
08/06/21
Cryptocurrency came into existence not long ago with the most popular, Bitcoin, coming into existence on 3 January 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamotu. To this date, no-one knows exactly who this mystery person is. It began with mining block zero which has a reward of 50 bitcoins and here sprang a…
Legal Article
04/06/21
In this article Sarah Robson, one of our family law specialists, considers how pensions are treated in a divorce. In most divorces pensions are one of the main assets of a marriage, usually second only to the family home. If you are facing a divorce it is vital to give proper consideration to…
Legal Article
24/05/21
Under section 31(1)(b) of the Children Act 1989 'on an application of any local authority or authorised person, the court may make an order putting the child under the supervision of a designated local authority' and this is known as a supervision order. A Court may make a supervision order if…
Legal Article
11/05/21
Domestic Abuse has a huge impact on peoples mental health. Domestic abuse isn't always physical and can often be mental abuse. According to the Office for National Statistics, it is estimated that over a 12-month period to year ending March 2020, approximately 2.3 million adults aged 16 to 74 years…
Legal Article
06/05/21
Last week, on 29th April, the Domestic Abuse Bill received royal assent. The Domestic Abuse Bill will provide protection to millions of victims of domestic abuse and strengthen measures to tackle the perpetrators of domestic abuse. The government have worked closely with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner…
Legal Article
26/03/21
According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, in the year ending March 2020, an estimated 5.5% of adults who were aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year. This number equates to 2.3 million people who were affected by domestic abuse in one year alone. At the beginning…
Legal Article
02/03/21
Parental responsibility encompasses " all rights and duties, powers and responsibilities, which by law a parent of a child has in relation to that child ". This gives a parent the right to make decisions on behalf of that child such as their education, religion and upbringing. Mothers who give…
Legal Article
17/02/21
The Coronavirus (Covid-19) global pandemic is non-discriminatory and has affected every single person all over the world in varying ways. Unsurprisingly, when the national lockdown came into force in England in March 2020, the country stood still and the majority of workers, students and children…
Legal Article
16/02/21
COVID-19 restrictions and government advice has changed everything when it comes to our children attending school, and uncertainty remains about the future of school terms, and when children will go back to school. Currently, it is estimated that children will not go back to school until 8th March at…
Legal Article
10/02/21
National Apprenticeship Week began on 8 February. This year's theme is 'Build The Future.' With 20 years of experience in progressing employees through apprenticeships, Forbes Solicitors has helped build futures and this year has been no different and has been as successful, despite the…
Legal Article
21/01/21
In recent months we have seen an increase in clients approaching us for advice following a separation from their partner or spouse. Many have stated that the pressures of the lockdown and the restrictions have negatively affected their relationship, resulting in the decision to separate. Separating…
Legal Article
11/01/21
The year 2020 brought its own set of challenges and couples saw their relationships tested by the pressures that the global pandemic brought: financial worries, health concerns and spending prolonged amounts of time together. For some, these challenges may have exposed deeper longstanding issues that…
Legal Article
07/01/21
The start of any new year is renowned for new beginnings. It is gives people purpose, and you will see individuals set out with good intentions to make positive changes in their lives. With the challenges that many faced in 2020, now more than ever individuals will be looking forward to 2021 and the…
