Regular 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 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 moreAnyone who has ever flicked through one of the tabloid ‘papers will understand how the relationships of the rich and (in)famous are something of a staple ingredient on the news and gossip pages. Furthermore, more than merely providing an insight into how the wealthy and well-known live their lives, such articles have the potential to […]
Read moreThat the nature of home life has been transformed in recent decades is beyond question. Fifty years ago, there were 426,541 marriages in England and Wales. The number which took place in 2019 was just over than half that figure (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/marriagecohabitationandcivilpartnerships/bulletins/marriagesinenglandandwalesprovisional/2019#age-at-marriage). There are, of course, many reasons why that is the case. A report published […]
Read moreIt is no great secret that the court system in England and Wales is facing a tremendous challenge. The volume of work which, for example, family courts deal with is immense. Just last week, the Ministry of Justice published figures showing that more than 68,000 new cases began during the first three months of this […]
Read moreIt is fair to say that family law in England and Wales does not change as quickly as the circumstances within households in either country. As my colleague Claire Reid pointed out earlier this week, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/11/contents/enacted) which has now come into force – heralding the introduction of ‘no-fault’ divorce […]
Read moreMost domestic relationships, no matter how long or short, involve differences of opinion, both large and relatively small. Trying to resolve them and move forward can, of course, be extremely trying in itself. Sometimes partners or spouses can be too close to the causes of disagreement to determine the best practical way forward. That is […]
Read moreThe global coronavirus pandemic has so upset the balance in our lives at home and at work that it almost seems difficult to believe that the second anniversary of lockdown measures being imposed will be upon us in just a matter of weeks. When Boris Johnson announced a series of steps to limit the spread […]
Read moreIt is something of a myth that all divorces are acrimonious. Whilst print, broadcast and even social media play their respective parts in reporting notable cases, coverage of the more contentious disputes has the potential to distort perceptions of what the process is actually like for the vast majority of couples. It’s a fact that […]
Read moreIn the two months since Boris Johnson imposed a series of initiatives to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, there have been a number of predictions as to how lockdown will impact life both at work and in the home. While last week’s stark warning by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the UK is […]
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