News/Blogs  

  Giving children a voice with Child-Inclusive Mediation  

Published on 13 February, 2025 | Sarah Manning

Children’s Mental Health Week took place at the beginning of this month, organised and run by the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, and was all about helping young people speak up and feel empowered to talk about mental health. We know how important and valuable this is from a Child-Inclusive Mediation perspective, as it empowers […]

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  HALL BROWN MOTORS ON WITH TRIPLE ‘NORTHERN POWERHOUSE’ AWARD LISTING  

Published on 10 February, 2025 | Melanie Hadwin

Hall Brown Family Law has hailed its latest awards’ recognition as justification of the strength of its nationwide operations. The firm has been shortlisted in two categories – Private Client Firm of the Year and Boutique Firm of the Year – at the Northern Powerhouse Awards, organised by the individuals behind the Legal 500 legal […]

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  RELATIONSHIP RECESSION: (UN)COUPLING AND CONSEQUENCES  

Published on 27 January, 2025 | Eleanor Scott

Time flies. Just over a decade ago, the Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and the equally celebrated lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin, announced the decision to end their 11-year marriage. It was far from the first celebrity break-up but, however, it became nearly as famous as their exploits on stage and screen thanks to the […]

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  WASTED ENERGY: HOW MEDIATION CAN CUT COSTS AND CONFLICT IN DIVORCE  

Published on 24 January, 2025 | Sarah Manning

It is a fact that although divorce is one of life’s singular events, it still has a sense of duality – marking the end of what might have been a long relationship and the beginning of new lives for the individuals involved. From the perspective of a family lawyer like myself, it is important to […]

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  SECOND TIME AROUND: THE MID-LIFE DIVORCÉS SPURRING REMARRIAGE  

Published on 23 January, 2025 | Laura Guillon

In recent years, family life in England and Wales has seemed very dynamic. Yet, for all this change, commentary about what has been happening in households has contained certain recurring themes. One of them is the apparent demise of marriage. It is true that the number of marriages in 2022 – the most recent year […]

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  TAIL WAGS DOG: WHEN PET DISPUTES DERAIL DIVORCES  

Published on 20 January, 2025 | Alice Rogers

Britain is, by reputation, a nation of animal lovers. The most recent statistics made available by one of the UK’s leading veterinary charities, the PDSA, would appear to bear that out (https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/uk-pet-populations-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits). It calculated that more than half of all homes now have a cat, dog or rabbit. That percentage actually increased during the Covid […]

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  CHILDREN AND ‘PSEUDO-SCIENCE’: PARENTAL ALIENATION IN THE FAMILY COURTS  

Published on 20 December, 2024 | Sarah Manning

The breakdown of a relationship between spouses, civil or cohabiting partners can be unpleasant, simply in terms of the emotional discomfort which it can create. However, when parents split, regardless of the formality of their domestic arrangements, the sensitivities are naturally heightened. It is something that family courts and the law are very much alive […]

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  USING TECH AND TACTICS TO TACKLE DOMESTIC ABUSE  

Published on 28 November, 2024 | Emma Hubbard

Whenever crime figures are published, there is a temptation for some people to focus on the numbers. They may be shocking in themselves but such scrutiny can mean that the experience of those individuals who are the victims of crime becomes lost amidst a forest of statistics. It was something of which I was acutely […]

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  HONESTY, DISCLOSURE AND DIVORCE  

Published on 27 November, 2024 | Melanie Hadwin

No matter how amicable a couple is, the end of a marriage is never a particularly pleasant experience. Even so, it is imperative to respect the process in order to avoid aggravating any tension or natural emotion that there may be. An integral part of that is the division of the couple’s assets. Discussions as […]

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  Parenting Over The Festive Period  

Published on 19 November, 2024 | Bronwyn Warmington

Whilst the festive period is the best time of year for some, Christmas can be challenging for others, particularly separated parents who are navigating the world of co-parenting. To avoid any last-minute issues or stress, it is best to plan ahead and agree the arrangements as soon as possible. This will allow parents to give […]

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