Last month, the Evening Standard revealed shocking statistics of parental abduction in England. At least 925 children were abducted by one of their parents between 2019 and 2023, and 232 reports have been made to police in the past year (a 12% increase...
Tonight, our legal specialists in relationship and family law will be celebrating recognition for an incredible year at the inaugural ‘British Family Awards 2024’ as they have been shortlisted for ‘Family Law Team of the Year’ The...
‘Deed of Trust’ vs ‘Cohabitation Agreement’ When a couple buys or moves into a property, the need for a written record of ownership and occupation is crucial and often overlooked. This record can be a ‘Deed’ or...
What will happen to your pet? For most pet owners, their companions are part of the family, so if a couple separates, what happens to them? According to a survey undertaken last year by Statista, 62% of households (approximately 17.8 million homes) own...
‘Closing the Door on Post Divorce Claims’ The importance of a final financial order Glastonbury Festival is taking place this week, and, for Jonathan Whettingsteel, it is always a reminder of the case of Dale Vince, Wyatt & Vince...
“Shameful, disgusting and wrong” The Law Society Gazette has reported an increasing number of people who say they were pressured by solicitors into taking out high interest loans to fund legal costs for family cases. After recovering...
Family Expert joins Campaign for Grandparents Family law specialist and Partner of Dutton Gregory Solicitors, Jonathan Whettingsteel, has accepted the invitation to join a national working group that is seeking to introduce legal rights for grandparents...
Today, ‘No Fault Divorce’ becomes legal. Whilst arguably the biggest change to Matrimonial Law in our lifetime, the big question is ‘What’s going to change?’ Partner and Family Law Specialist,...
On 6 th April, the biggest change in divorce laws for almost 50 years comes in to force; ‘The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act’ and with it, the introduction of ‘No-Fault Divorce’ . Under current divorce law (which has been...
After years of campaigning by many of those involved in the legal profession, including The Law Society and Resolution, next month ‘No-Fault Divorce’ becomes law. Having been sought for many years it was not until the case of Tini Owens came...
For a lot of people, Christmas is about spending time with family, but what happens when children have more than one? If not handled carefully, talk of Christmas can descend into conflict and arguments about where children spend the festive season. ...
We know that modern families come in all different shapes and sizes, but to mark Pride Month, Family Law Specialist, Jon Whettingsteel considers whether the law does enough to support and protect LGBTQ+ families. When a child is born to a heterosexual...
Having practiced in Family Law for over a decade I have found that there are a number of false beliefs that people say to me time and time again, so in this article I am going to clear up some of the most popular ‘myths’ surrounding separation...
Under a new Government scheme separating couples can claim up to £500 towards mediation. This is in order to assist and encourage parties to reach an out of court settlement, although some have suggested it is also to take the strain off of the family...
‘Vaccination’ is a word that we are hearing on an almost daily basis at the moment, and whilst the current Government guidance suggests that children under 16 should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, this may change as more is known about the...
The needs of families and their composition continues to change, as does the technology to support them. As a result, the law supporting these families also needs to change. There has been a continued and steady increase in the number of applications being...
The division of pensions during divorce proceedings can be a complicated and emotive topics for many. In order to offer clarifications and recommendations on the matter, the Pension Advisory Group (PAG) filed their ‘A Guide to the Treatment of...
Although an extreme example based on the court’s findings, a recent Judgement delivered by Mr Justice Moor in the case of Neil & Neil [2019] EWHC 3330 (fam) serves as an example as to how the courts will set aside a financial order, even in part...
The COVID-19 pandemic is going to have long lasting implications on the economy and, as such, one of the questions that my clients are repeatedly asking me is whether they should change their course of action during the pandemic. Should they separate but...
On Monday 23 rd March 2020 the Prime Minister gave a historic announcement, putting the UK into lockdown. This was largely expected, but few had time to prepare, including many families with child arrangements. The government have since...
When parents separate, there can often be a dispute about the arrangements for any children. Whilst there is a presumption by the court under Section 1(2A) Children Act 1989 that the involvement of a parent in a child’s life will further their (the...
On 28th February 2018, the Office of National Statistics published their findings looking at marriages in England and Wales in 2015. Of the 239,020 opposite sex marriages in England and Wales, 15% were remarrying. This means that in 2015 alone, approximately...
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