While the number of cohabiting couples in the UK has more than doubled, the numbers of married and lone parent families have remained stable. Cohabiting couple family numbers more than doubled from 1.5 million families in 1996 to 3.3 million…
In England & Wales we have a fault based divorce system. Alleging unreasonable behaviour by a spouse is a method of demonstrating fault. In our system, evidence needs to be put before the court to demonstrate that there are grounds…
Family matters in England & Wales can be dealt with in the Family Division of the High Court, by district judges in County Courts and in Family Proceedings Courts, which are specialist Magistrates’ Courts. The High Court of Justice is…
Marriage rates are the best indicators of annual trends because they take into account the numbers of unmarried people in the country. The UK’s Office for National Statistics has released its 2018 annual bulletin on Marriages in England & Wales.…
New sentencing guidelines will make domestic abuse in the home a more serious offence and include reference to the use of social media to carry out abuse. People convicted of domestic abuse offences will be more likely to go to prison.…
Where a non-resident parent lives abroad, it can be possible to seek the payment of child maintenance through a reciprocal enforcement of maintenance order (REMO). A REMO can also be used in respect of the overseas income of a non-resident…
Can Amazon Alexa or Google Home by used by a spouse to spy on their partner? Our clients are normally already aware of the risk that their use of social media and smartphones or tablets will allow their spouse or…
The UK Office for National Statistics have released the most recent figures on divorce in the England & Wales (figures for 2016). We have highlighted some of the more interesting statistics from their publication. The estimated percentage of marriages ending…
Victims of domestic violence will get more support in taking abusive former partners to court. Changes to evidence requirements in private family law disputes have come into effect. There will no longer be a time limit on abuse evidence for victims,…
The Ministry of Justice has introduced five new court forms for the family court in England & Wales in 2018. New forms FM1, Form B, Form A1, Form A and C100 have come into effect on 8 January 2018. Links…