Maintenance payment methods to be made safer for abuse survivors
February 23rd 2023The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is to clamp down on domestic abuse by providing a safer system for maintenance payments. Joanne Grey Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Survivors of abuse will be given the choice to allow the CMS to collect and make payments on their behalf – without the consent of an abusive ex-partner. This will prevent perpetrators from using child maintenance as a…
Father ordered to return daughter to her mother’s home country
February 9th 2023A father who abducted his three-year-old daughter has been ordered to return her to her mother’s home country. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The mother and father were from different countries. They met in 2017, married in 2019 and moved to the mother’s country as a family in 2020. The mother worked and the father was the homemaker. In 2022 they planned to move…
Legal firm expands family department with new appointments
February 1st 2023A LEADING legal firm has strengthened its Family Law team with the appointment of two experienced solicitors. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, which has offices across Cumbria and Northumberland, has welcomed Jo Grey and Sara Budniak to its Family department which deals with all aspects of marital law, divorce, children, cohabitation and domestic violence. The pair bring a wealth of experience to the team, having practised for several years in their specialist…
Child abducted by her mother must be returned to her home country
January 31st 2023A mother who abducted her daughter has been ordered to return the child to her home country in accordance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980. Joanne Grey Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The case involved a Bulgarian couple who had lived in the UK. Their daughter was born in the UK and, following the breakdown of…
Father ordered to pay into housing fund for son and former partner
January 13th 2023A father has been ordered to contribute to a fund to buy a home for his son and former partner, and to pay their rent until he had paid his share of the fund in full. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The parents had cohabited but never married. They separated in 2018, after which the mother sought financial provision for their seven-year-old son. In…
Child can stay with mother in his place of habitual residence
December 16th 2022A mother has successfully appealed against a decision ordering the return of her eight-year-old son to Germany under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. The mother was Ugandan and the father was German. Their son was born in Uganda in 2014. The relationship ended and the father returned to Germany. The boy spent…
Government rejects calls for legal protection for cohabiting couples
December 1st 2022The government has ruled out introducing changes to family law to provide greater legal protection for cohabiting couples. Amy Fallows Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of our Family Law team reports. Family lawyers have been pressing for more protection because many people still believe there is such a thing as common law marriage giving them the same legal protection as married couples. Unfortunately for them, this is not true. Cohabiting couples have very…
Separated couples should avoid Christmas disputes over children
November 21st 2022Christmas and other holiday periods should be among the happiest times of a child’s life but sadly they are often marred by divorced and separated parents arguing over access rights. Shannon Bateson, Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case. Tensions between couples often come to the fore at this time of year but it’s the children who are likely to suffer the most as they find themselves at…
Divorce applications reach 10-year high as new law takes effect
November 1st 2022The number of divorce applications has reached a 10-year high, with the sudden increase thought to be largely due to the introduction of the no-fault approach to ending a marriage. Sarah Hinett, Paralegal in our Family Law Team reports. The figures for April to June 2022 show there were 33,234 applications, the highest number for a decade. Analysts suggest the increase is down to people holding off making applications until…
Dispute over divorce settlement including future inheritance
October 20th 2022The Family Court has ruled on a dispute over whether a couple’s divorce settlement should take into account potential future payments and inheritance from the husband’s father. Julian Nelson, Director in our Family Law Team reports on this recent case. The case involved a couple who had met in 2001 and married in 2004. The husband was from a very wealthy family. The couple entered into a pre-marital agreement, as required by the…
