It is well known that the courts in England and Wales can be more generous than the courts of many other countries when it comes to financial settlements on divorce, particularly in relation to financial provision for wives. Indeed, in some jurisdictions wives may receive little or no provision from the local courts. It is […]
Government shelves plans for compulsory mediation
The Government has shelved plans for the introduction of compulsory mediation in family cases, at least for the time being. The news was contained in the Government’s response to a consultation it held last year on resolving private family disputes earlier through family mediation. The consultation sought views on several issues, including three key proposals: […]
For the first time, the percentage of married people falls below 50%, sparking calls for cohabitation rights
A remarkable statistic has sparked calls for cohabitants to be given basic financial and property rights on relationship breakdown. In January the Office for National Statistics published annual population estimates by marital status and living arrangements in England and Wales, for 2021/2. Decline of marriage and rise of cohabitation The estimates indicated that whilst married […]
5 Star Review for Sarah Woodward
“Excellent support from Sarah. Sarah Woodward supported and advised me through a lengthy financial separation. At every stage Sarah gave me solid and pragmatic advice, and did so whilst being mindful of a complex emotional context. She helped me reach a conclusion that I feel was the best outcome for both parties, but above all […]
Dealing with housing needs on divorce
When the court is asked to deal with a financial remedies application sorting out financial arrangements on divorce it is required to specifically consider certain factors. One of those factors, and often the most important one, is the financial needs, obligations and responsibilities which each of the parties to the marriage has or is likely […]
Research reveals the reality of divorce finances for most
Every year around 100,000 couples get divorced in England and Wales. And most of those divorces should involve important financial arrangements, which will affect the future of the parties and any dependent children. But until now little has been known about those financial arrangements, and how the couples sort them out (if, indeed, they do […]
The perils of do-it-yourself online divorce
Obviously it is well known that divorce can be expensive. It is no surprise therefore that many people going through divorce will want to do everything they can to keep that expense to a minimum. One tempting way to do this is to deal with the divorce yourself, without the expense of instructing a solicitor […]
Parental alienation is in the news again, but what is it, and how does the court respond?
Parental alienation is an increasingly common issue raised in disputes between parents over arrangements for their children, but what exactly is it, and how does the family court respond to allegations of parental alienation? Parental alienation in the news ‘Parental alienation’ is a relatively recent term, originating in the USA in the 1980s, but now […]
MPs warn of use of smart technology by domestic abusers
Imagine a woman sharing a house with her partner. She knows a little bit about technology – like most people she has a mobile phone, she uses a laptop for her social media, the house has smart speakers in it, and is protected by a camera system connected to the internet, so that it can […]
Father has his contact application refused after being abusive to all involved
In civil (i.e. non-family) court proceedings it is not unusual for the court to summarily dismiss a claim without a full hearing, usually because it is clear that the claim has no merit. But in family court proceedings regarding children it is quite different. The Family Court will not normally make a decision concerning arrangements […]
