High Court Determines Habitual Residency Tug Of War
The High Court has ruled on a case involving an incapacitated man (QD) a habitual resident in Spain who was brought back to England by his adult children (TD and BS) against the wishes of his second and current wife (KD). In addition to highlighting the difficulties involved in perusing the correct course of action for a loved one or family […]
Resolution Commend Government’s Divorce Bill Reintroduction
Family law organisation, Resolution, has ‘commended’ Government after it reinstated and reintroduced the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill into Parliament earlier this week. Nigel Shepherd, Long-time campaigner and former Chair of Resolution, said: “We welcome the reintroduction of this vital piece of legislation. After a series of false starts last year, we are delighted that Government […]
Could You Spot A Fake Or Modified Email?
Register for our upcoming webinar: OnDMARC: The questions law firms want answering Email redirection fraud was a lucrative tool in the criminal underworld accruing £123.7 million from UK account holders in 2018 alone, according to a UK Finance report. Of the 7,544 malicious redirection scams completed, over 9,000 payments were made with an average individual loss of […]
Courts Failing Rape Victims
A topic of conversation currently dominating the news is rape. Two headlines across many of the front pages are the Ayia Napa case and the Weinstein trial. If you have been on a social media and news cleanse this holiday season, this is a very brief summary of the Ayia Napa case: A British 19-year-old […]
Government Reintroduce Divorce Bill
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill has been reintroduced by the Government from today (7th January 2020). The Bill, which will stop ‘blame game’ divorces in the future, was shelved following the proroguing of parliament and consequent general election at the back end of last year. However, given the cross-party appetite for a law which […]
Is The Time Up For Egg Freezing Time Limit?
The first ever successful birth from IVF in the UK took place on the 25th July 1978 and since, there have been over five million babies born thanks to the procedure. IVF will be a last resort to many who have normally faced years trying to conceive naturally, however there are many that will be unable […]
There Is No Such Thing As Divorce Day
Scanning through Twitter quickly shows family law solicitors showing their annoyance at the term ‘Divorce Day’. Divorce Day has been coined by the media as the first working day back after Christmas where, supposedly, solicitors will see a rise in divorce appointments and applications land on their desk. Apparently, Christmas is the breaking point for […]
Private Member Bills That Are Set To Return In 2020
8 days after the General Election, the day following the State Opening, the ballot was held to allocate the order in which private member’s bills will be introduced to the House of Lords. For the first time, the ballot was drawn by students from the Education Centre. Private member’s bills are draft laws that have […]
Opposite-Sex Couples Celebrate New Year Civil Partnerships
Thousands of opposite-sex couples have been able to enter into a civil partnership since the start of the new decade. At the start of December, the Government’s new regulations came into force allowing opposite-sex couples to give the necessary 28 days notice period before entering into a legal civil partnership. The legislative changes will provide […]
First Opposite-Sex Civil Partnerships From New Years Eve
The case of Steinfeld and Another v Secretary of State for Education in 2017 had the Court of Appeal find that that the provision, whereby civil partnership was only available to same sex couples, was contrary to article 14 of European Convention of Human Rights (protection from discrimination) taken in conjunction with Article 8 of the Convention […]
Discrimination In Adoption
Sandeep and Reena Mander have recently won their case for discrimination by a local council, after they had been told ‘not to bother applying’ for adoption due to their Indian heritage. In 2016, Mr and Mrs Mander had turned to Adopt in Berkshire after spending almost 7 years at various unsuccessful attempts at IVF. After attending an introductory seminar […]
All I Want For Christmas….
Every year we inevitably hear the voice of Mariah Carey singing possibly one of the most iconic modern Christmas tune (unless you are a rebel and answer the beginning of the lyrics with “my two front teef”): “I don’t want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing I need I don’t care about […]
A Pet Is For Life, Not Just For Marriage
For the majority of divorce cases, there will be an issue of contention between the couple, that can produce some of the most bizarre arguments, comments and final arrangements. From couples who argue over an ornaments worth a couple of pounds, to the couple who were chastised by a judge for arguing over which side of the train station platform they should meet to […]
100 Years of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
It was 100 years ago that an important piece of law, affecting women’s rights, was given Royal Assent on the 23 December 1919 by His Royal Highness King George V. In four short sections, the Law was amended so that a person could not be disqualified on account of their sex or marriage from any public function, from holding any […]
Proposals To Cut PII Dropped By SRA
The news that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) decided to abandon proposal plans to lower the levels of professional Indemnity cover (PII) was welcomed by the Law Society. Back in March 2018, the SRA proposed to reduce the minimum level of PII to improve the balance of cost and access to legal services for consumers […]
Forensic Science And Family Law
There are forensic services well known to the family law practitioner. The use of DNA analysis to determine the parent of a child has been long standing. In more recent years, hair strand toxicology to look for drug consumption over a period of time has seen a dramatic fall in cost, making it more routine […]
Chair Of Cafcass Steps Down Permanently
This month Edward Timpson CBE has stood down permanently from his role as Chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). Timpson stood down from his current role after being elected as the MP for Eddisbury in the December 2019 General Election. The appointment of his successor will be arranged and led by the Ministry of […]
Data & Information Law Specialist Joins St John’s Buildings
Aaminah Khan a Data and Information Law Specialist has been welcomed to St John’s Building Chambers. Aaminah was called to the Bar in 2001 and spent six years developing her common law practice before moving to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to specialise in Information Law. It was during her time at the ICO that […]
Still No Sign Of Rights To Protect Cohabiting Couples
The rates of cohabitation has been increasing, becoming the fastest growing family type in the UK with more than 3 million couples choosing to live together rather than enter a legal union either under marriage or a civil partnership. Without the social stigma of cohabiting once brought, there have been many calls for more legal […]
In An Industry Renowned For Its Long Hours, How Do Legal Parents Cope?
In November 2019, Legal Cheek undertook a survey to find the average start and finish times in the office for the year. 2,500 trainees and junior associates were surveyed at nearly 100 law firms throughout the UK. Most people in the legal industry know that the average working day is not 9am to 5pm, even whilst studying […]