You may have been unhappy for months, but not known what to do and then after much thought decided to tell your spouse that the marriage is at an end. They may have expected the conversation but equally they may be totally shocked and hurt by your decision.
It is often the case that one person decides before the other that the marriage is at an end. They may have thought about it for weeks or months before they made that thought public. If you are the person who hasn’t made that decision, it can come as a huge shock. Here, Helen Waite outlines the steps you can take and why there is no need to be rushed into any decisions.
The court service is not at its best. After the closure of over 80 courts, before the pandemic, centralised telephone lines and court services, less staff and more applications, it isn’t working as well as it should.
2022 will see the introduction of the long awaited no fault divorce system in the UK. For many years, and under the current system, the only way for couples to divorce immediately is to attribute blame to one party, either based on one party’s adultery or their unreasonable behaviour.
The family law team at Thomson Snell & Passmore is offering parents a free guide, containing advice and information to help them put children first during a separation or divorce
All of the solicitors in our family team are members of Resolution. Resolution is a group of lawyers who agree to undertake a way of working that is more conciliatory and better for our clients.
A new relationship may be the catalyst for ending a marriage or, if it was not your choice to end the marriage, you may find that after a period of living on your own you want to and are ready to start a new relationship.
With international travel now permitted again in England and a new traffic light system in place, Kirstie Law from our family team shared her expertise with Wealth Briefing Magazine on the key things co-parents need to consider when it comes to travel abroad this year.
Bill and Melinda Gates are to divorce following 27 years of marriage. They announced that after three children and having established a successful foundation that they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.
Leading South East law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore announces 11 promotions from across its core practice areas.
Harry Golding outlines best practice when it comes to family law.
Family team commended by peers in prestigious rankings
At Thomson Snell & Passmore, we have been here for you since 1570, and are here for all lifetime events on the Private Client side of our business that we can support you with.
Thomson Snell & Passmore's new Senior Partner on being a good listener and why the best part of work is the people
Arbitration is becoming increasingly common, as an alternative to the court process in addition to using a solicitor to negotiate a settlement, collaborative law and mediation.
Getting married or entering into a civil partnership is usually one of the most important days of any person’s life, and the preparations can take months in advance of the big day.
On 22 April 2014, child arrangement orders came into force. These orders specify who a child will “live with” and who a child “will spend time with”.
The answer to this question is the lawyer’s favourite answer of “it depends”.
One of the main concerns for those taking advice from a family solicitor is often the “cost of the divorce”.
A nuptial agreement is a written agreement between the two parties to a marriage governing, among other things, how assets should be divided upon divorce and how the parties’ finances should be managed throughout the course of the marriage or civil partnership.
Sarah Keily, partner in our family team, offers her insight.
Whilst it has for years been possible to deal with the divorce paperwork online, the procedure for dealing with financial and children issues has historically required both parties to attend hearings.
Grandparents often have a special relationship with their grandchildren, but when relationships break down the unfortunate reality is that grandparents do not have any automatic right to see their grandchildren.
Kirstie Law recently shared her thoughts on mediation with Wealth & Finance magazine
The Ministry of Justice recently released its quarterly Family court statistics, covering July – September 2019.
Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year, a time to spend with family, but it’s a particularly difficult time of the year to be alone, and can also be a very difficult time to navigate family relationships. For those who have children together, but have separated, it can be incredibly emotive trying to agree who the children spend Christmas with.
The ONS recently released divorce statistics for England and Wales.
Government cut backs in the public sector mean it is now more expensive and takes longer for a court to deal with a financial application within divorce proceedings. Mediation can be a a significantly cheaper and quicker way to resolve financial issues
Government cut backs in the public sector have had an impact on family cases. It now takes longer and is more expensive to resolve a case through the court system. People are increasingly looking to “keep it out of court”. Increasingly, former couples are turning to mediation as a way of resolving the issues arising from their separation (including financial and children).
Over recent weeks there has been some surprise in the world of family law at the decision made by banker Kerim Derhalli to pursue his former wife - Jayne Richardson Derhalli - for ‘back rent’ in relation to her occupation of the former £6 million matrimonial home in London, and maybe slightly more surprise at the fact the application has so far been successful.
Following repeated calls for reform by judges and lawyers, the Government has announced plans to introduce the biggest change in divorce law in more than 50 years. The changes will apply to the dissolution of both marriages and civil partnerships.
Thomson Snell & Passmore has been named as one of the Top Law Firms for its private wealth practice for the fifth consecutive year.
We look at some of the ways in which the courts in England and Wales approach the family business within divorce proceedings.
The January blues often follow the Christmas period, as the stresses and strains of family life throw up conflicts and resentments that may have been harbouring for a while.
Family lawyers are feeling more positive that the Government is going to revisit the ways in which financial orders within divorce proceedings can be enforced. If amendments are made, it will make it more difficult for obstinate spouses to avoid meeting their obligations.
Thomson Snell & Passmore has been ranked as one of the best law firms for its family practice in The Times Best Law Firms 2019.
Parents are often shocked to discover that their only entitlement on separation is to child maintenance.
Moving in with your partner is one of the most exciting times of your life. We all hope that our relationships will work and that we will never have to think about the ‘what if’s’, if something were to happen.
Former spouses who refuse to comply with financial orders could be disqualified from driving or prevented from travelling abroad under measures being considered by the government.
Joanna Pratt spoke to the Finanical Times in response to a reader’s question on civil partnerships for heterosexual couples.
There are over 3 million people living together in the UK as cohabiting couples according to the Office of National Statistics . Cohabiting couples are in fact the fastest growing family type. However there is currently very little if any legal protection for such couples if their relationship breaks down.
Q. We want to help our 20 year old daughter buy her first flat, but we’re worried about putting such a valuable asset directly in her name. Is there anything we can do to protect the property until she’s a bit older?
It is increasingly difficult to save for a deposit whilst paying rent and outgoings on a rented property. Lenders are now far more cautious about how much they will lend and who they will lend it to. As a result parents are regularly stepping in to help out their children to purchase a property.
Partner, Kirstie Law from our family team speaks to The Times and comments on the privacy of Ryan Giggs' divorce.
Desmond O'Donnell, senior associate from our family department speak with Spear's about pre-nuptial agreements for wealthy families.
Christmas is undoubtedly one of the hardest times for parents who are separated. Do remember that most families find Christmas stressful at times. Acknowledge that it is inevitably particularly hard when there is so much emphasis on one day that most separated parents cannot spend together so usually “miss out” alternate years.
Every so often there is a high profile wedding or divorce which highlights throughout the media the role of prenuptial agreements. It is certainly the case that more couples are entering into a prenuptial agreement before they marry. In early 2016, when Cheryl Cole’s marriage broke down, there was a lot of speculation in the media as to whether she and her husband had entered into a prenuptial agreement, and if they hadn’t, what the extent of his potential claim against her might be.
Joanna Pratt, Partner in our family department speaks to global wealth management reporter WeathBriefing and discusses a case in which a business owner sold a large block of shares in a company to fund a divorce settlement.
We are pleased to receive, for another year, the accolade from eprivateclient of being listed as one of the Top 25 Law Firms in the UK.
For most of us, and increasingly irrespective of age, the digital world has crept into our lives. Whether we manage our bank accounts or investments online, store our photographs in the cloud or manage our social lives through Facebook, our digital footprints are becoming deeper and deeper.
