There are few elements of our personal and professional lives which have not benefited from the great surge in technological advances over the last few decades. Smartphones which sit neatly in our hands enable us to forge relationships with and remain connected to individuals on the other side of the world, if we’re so inclined. […]
Read more
Almost three years on from the start of lockdown in the UK, there are few who would doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a life-changing event. It has, of course, wrought a terrible toll in the home and the workplace. At the time of writing, the virus has cost the lives of more than […]
Read more
Over the course of the last 18 months or so, almost every household across the UK has experienced the rising cost of living in some form of fashion. The most notable factor has arguably been the increase in energy costs, which a report published by the House of Commons’ Library only last month underlined was […]
Read more
“Knowledge”, as one popular saying goes, “is power”. The implication is that an understanding of how something functions equips us with confidence. It’s a maxim brought to mind by a significant project which is currently underway at three family courts in England and Wales. As the name given to the initiative – the Transparency Implementation […]
Read more
For many individuals in many cultures and across many centuries, marriage has been the principal – and, in some cases, the only – way of forging relationships. If we turn the clock back exactly a decade, in fact, to discussions about which led to the introduction of same-sex marriage, the then Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, […]
Read more
Just over 50 years ago, two US psychiatrists undertook a research project to determine the degree to which a variety of relatively common life events might stress those who experienced them. The work of Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe considered the medical records of more than 5,000 individuals. It was eventually published in 1967 and […]
Read more
Let’s be frank: the end of a marriage is not an altogether pleasant process. In my experience, most spouses try to be amicable while dealing with the paperwork, dividing up their joint assets and determining the best arrangements for their children. However, the underlying fact is that they wouldn’t have to do all those things […]
Read more
Regular readers of this ‘blog will have noticed that one of its regular themes has been the way in which family life in England and Wales has changed in recent years. In addition to articles on how opposite sex and same sex couples form and frame their relationships, another topic has generated comment having featured […]
Read more
It is sometimes bewildering to think of the speed at which home life in the UK has changed. Not so long ago, for instance, there was an expectation that women would marry young, have children and remain housewives. Yet that notion continues to be challenged. Both women and men now marry 10 years later on […]
Read more
Seven years ago, I was sat in a small office in the centre of Manchester, involved in preparations for the launch of a new business. It sometimes seems hard to believe what has happened in the time since. From that single room and three employees, Hall Brown has grown quickly and now boasts four offices […]
Read more