Expert Comments

Blog

Changing Your Child’s name

I regularly get asked what the best way to change a child’s name is. There are different options, but if you want to change your child’s name, and you have...

March 28, 2017

Blog

child-law

Section 20 Agreements – What are they and should I agree to one?

Section 20 agreements allow Social Services to place your child in foster care, or with other members of your family, without the need for a Court Order. There is a...

March 27, 2017

Opinion

Sarah-Cecilie – a personal insight into the impact of parental child abduction

I recently attended a private film screening of a film called Sarah-Cecilie made by a charity called Action Against Abduction. The organisation's founder Lady Catherine Meyer attended the screening and...

March 13, 2017

Opinion

Promoting Equality for Unmarried Couples

According to the Office of National Statistics in 2016 the fastest growing family type between 1996 and 2016 were co-habiting couples; more than doubling from 1.3 million to 3.3 million...

February 20, 2017

Blog

Divorce: What a difference “delay” makes

It isn’t always obvious, but when divorcing “delay” in resolving the finances of the marriage into a final court order, may create unexpected difficulties. Sometimes people divorce and think they...

February 13, 2017

Blog

Pakistan 96th state to join 1980 Hague Convention on international child abduction

The news that Pakistan has joined the Hague Convention 1980 will be welcomed by parents and legal practitioners. As from 1 February 2017, Pakistan will be a contracting state to...

January 16, 2017

Blog

Locating an abducted child

It is frequently the case that where a child has been abducted into the jurisdiction of England and Wales from a country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention...

November 30, 2016

Opinion

Surely it’s time for the introduction of non-fault based divorces!

This week has been dubbed ‘Good Divorce Week 2016’ by Resolution, an organisation of approximately 6,500 family lawyers and other professionals in England and Wales who believe in a constructive,...

November 28, 2016

Opinion

Digitalisation of the family courts for financial cases

It is widely acknowledged and as set out in Hodge Jones & Allen's Unjust Kingdom report (2015) that "the justice system requires faster modernisation". One way of achieving of this...

November 21, 2016

Blog

On Divorce: What do you actually “need”?

Financial “Needs” are always considered before a court makes a financial order to resolve the distribution of money of a marriage. WHAT IS A FINANCIAL ORDER?

November 9, 2016

Opinion

Family Drug and Alcohol Court – a different approach to tackling substance misuse and its impact on families

I had my first experience of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) as a trainee solicitor. My supervisor was representing a father with longstanding alcohol dependency. He was a...

October 31, 2016

Opinion

Practice Direction 27A – A gentle reminder…..

With increasing cuts in funding of cases and the increasing number of litigants in person on the rise before the family courts, practitioners and advocates have recently received a gentle...

October 27, 2016

Blog

Should I have a pre-nuptial agreement?

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Amal and George Clooney and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are just some of the big name stars to have signed pre-nuptial agreements ahead of...

October 21, 2016

Blog

Helping vulnerable women building a more positive future

I recently attended a very interesting talk by an organisation called Pause. Pause work with women who have experienced repeat removals of their children through care proceedings. The Pause programme...

October 20, 2016

Opinion

Avoiding a Madonna style-custody battle

One of the truisms of divorce is that it’s often the children who are the real victims. The mix of emotions associated with separation and divorce often sees parents using...

October 17, 2016

Blog

Divorce – the common misconceptions

Whether it’s on the tube or at a dinner party, I often overhear people talking above divorce. It’s one of those things that people seem to think they know all...

September 30, 2016

Blog

Divorce – Don't forget to sort out the finances

In order to save on costs, it is now more common for people to choose a cheaper route to divorce and do it themselves. The divorce process itself can be...

September 13, 2016

Opinion

We must protect our refuges for women and children

Women’s refuges have provided invaluable protection, as well as emotional and practical support, for some of the most vulnerable clients that I have dealt with as a family solicitor. Refuges...

September 8, 2016

Opinion

Brexit – Planning a move abroad?

The UK's vote to leave the European Union may leave a number of families considering their position in the UK and whether to relocate with their children abroad. According to...

July 14, 2016

Blog

Preventing child abduction

When a marriage or relationship breaks down and there are children involved, sometimes one of the issues a parent faces is the fear that their child may be taken abroad...

June 3, 2016