Many a student will, at times, question the relevance of work undertaken at school and university once they have left and head for what is sometimes referred to as ‘the real world’. There are, of course, some jobs for which all those hours spent listening eagerly in lectures, buried in textbooks and swotting for exams […]
Read moreOne of the unavoidable realities of being a family lawyer is that few marriages end without difficulty or tension. No matter how reasonable spouses are, they are brought to the point of formally breaking up by differences of opinion or behaviour which occur over weeks, months or, in some cases, years. Having said that, it’s […]
Read moreAfter what must have seemed like countless generations of stability, the last few decades have wrought undeniable change on British households. The very concept of homes comprising a husband, wife and two children has become a stereotype found more often in drama than reality. Since the mid-1990s, in particular, the shift in domestic life has […]
Read moreMarriage has fallen out of favour or, at least, so some sceptics and statisticians have argued over recent years. Certainly, fewer contemporary couples follow the lead set by their parents. The latest data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in 2014, there were 247,372 marriages in England and Wales (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/marriagecohabitationandcivilpartnerships/bulletins/marriagesinenglandandwalesprovisional/2014#marriages-between-opposite-sex-couples-rise-in-2014). That […]
Read moreThe idea of paying a former spouse maintenance following a divorce is certainly not a new concept. Many men, in particular, expect and even accept that they will be asked to support their ex-wife after breaking up, especially if those husbands are in a financially stronger position than the women concerned. They also understand that […]
Read moreWe at Hall Brown are fast approaching the completion of what has been a dramatic, successful and richly satisfying first year in business. In addition to the challenges and effort required to get a new firm off the ground, we have been fortunate to enjoy many high points. The latest has arrived in the form […]
Read moreRegular readers of this ‘blog might recall how, earlier this year, I penned an article about a phenomenon known as the ‘cuckoo couple’. It followed myself and my colleagues observing the impact on the stability of middle-aged marriages by adult children returning home, often with a partner in tow. The pattern has become more frequent […]
Read moreNo matter how amicable the process is, there are few individuals who ever say that they enjoy divorcing. The end of a relationship which, in some cases, might have lasted decades can cause distress, even though the marriage which preceded it may have involved tensions which proved impossible to overcome. When there are children, that […]
Read moreRecent decades have seen tremendous upheaval in British family life. Without doubt, the most significant has been the growth in the number of couples who choose to live together without marrying. Whilst individuals in such partnership would have been stigmatised by previous generations for whom marriage was the only domestic arrangement which mattered, it’s not […]
Read moreThere is, out of necessity, something very grown-up about the law. The sense of formality is arguably most evident at court, where the language and procedures can seem daunting to adults. Even so, we mustn’t forget that courts across England and Wales deal with thousands of matters each week which impact directly on the lives […]
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