One of the recurrent themes on this ‘blog has been that of constant change in Britain’s households. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, that has been reflected in the work – the volumes and practices – of the family courts. It is certainly true that they are being kept very busy. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice at […]
Read moreRegular readers of this blog will recognise that the degree of workload handled by the family court has been something of an issue of concern in recent years for politicians, the judiciary and family lawyers alike. Even if we discount the impact wrought by the pandemic, it doesn’t take much effort to see how family […]
Read moreJust before Christmas, the Ministry of Justice published figures showing that almost 66,000 new cases began in family courts across England and Wales between July and September last year(https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022). Yet, in my opinion, I think that there are relatively few individuals who actually want to go to court. Court is increasingly regarded as a last […]
Read moreMoving from day-to-day, it might seem that our lives and those of individuals around us remain within a relatively familiar frame. However, if we take a moment to reflect, we can discern how family life in the UK has changed just as surely and as rapidly as the fabric of the towns and cities which […]
Read moreIt is possible to say without exaggeration or irony that change has been one of the most constant elements of family life in England and Wales over the course of the last half-century. Back in 1973, a major piece of divorce law reform – the Matrimonial Causes Act – came into force. Between then and […]
Read moreAs regular readers of this ‘blog will no doubt appreciate, home life in the UK has changed considerably in recent decades. In addition to great shifts – some legal and some societal – in how domestic relationships are forged, maintained and even break down, there have been significant developments in how families are started. Overall, […]
Read moreResolution, an organisation of family law professionals committed to resolving matters in a constructive manner, have voiced their determination to continue to advocate for cohabitation law reform at a conference held at the beginning of February. My colleague, Laura Guillon, highlighted in her blog Mirror Marriage: Cohabitation and Complexity (https://hallbrown.co.uk/mirror-marriage-cohabitation-and-complexity/) that there has been resistance […]
Read moreThere is, of course, a famous old saying that “an Englishman’s home is his castle”. However, the scourge of domestic violence means that home is anything but a place of refuge for many individuals. It is heartening, therefore, to hear that the Government is intensifying its efforts to eradicate the threat which people face from […]
Read moreTimes change and so too do the patterns in how couples of all ages form relationships. Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides a constant reminder of great successive shifts in households across England and Wales. For instance, the number of marriages in England and Wales has fallen by 45 per cent […]
Read moreSince it was first published (anonymously) just over 200 years ago, Jane Austen’s ‘Sense And Sensibility’ has struck a chord with successive generations of readers. However, despite the book remaining enormously popular, its view of the world – and marriage, in particular – has seemed ever more dated. As the novel illustrated, marriage was the […]
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