Our Family department comprises a dedicated team of experts who specialise in dealing with all aspects of marital and relationship breakdowns.
We have solicitors who are members of Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association), a body committed to promoting a spirit of non-confrontation in which matters can be dealt with in a sensitive, constructive and cost-effective way. We also have members of the Law Society's Family Law Accreditation Scheme on our staff.
Whatever your current situation, and whether or not you have decided that you want to end your marriage or relationship, seeking legal advice early will help you to clarify your thoughts and evaluate your options. We can help with all issues associated with:
We can take emergency action if required.
For further information, please contact Deborah Baker
The relationship between two heterosexual people living together has no legal status - unlike a married couple or a civil partnership.
When partners separate, unless they have made prior arrangements, they must rely, for the most part, on a complex web of trust and property law to establish who has ownership of assets, and directions as to how these should be distributed should the relationship end.
There are a number of other issues regarding the breakdown of relationships where the parties have chosen not to marry. The law is in a state of flux on some of these and processional advice should always be sought. We can advise you about:
For further information, please contact Deborah Baker
With effect from 21 December 2005 same sex couples can enter into a formal "Civil Partnership" under the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Effectively the Act allows a same sex couple to register the fact that they have a relationship which mirrors that of a marriage between a heterosexual couple. That also was the intention that Parliament had when it passed the Act.
Like marriage a civil partnership is registered by going through a ceremony at a Register Office (or any other premises licensed for civil marriage) although not at a religious premises.
Rights and responsibilities mirror those which a married couple undertake and include equitable treatment for child support, life assurances, tax, inheritance tax, employment and pension benefits, and so on.
Again like a marriage a civil partnership can be dissolved. The process (and the effects) are very similar to divorce, with the procedure being undertaken through a court and the assets and property of the partnership dealt with as would the assets and property belonging to a married couple.
The implications of entering into a civil partnership are thus far reaching and it may be prudent to seek legal advice if you are contemplating entering into or dissolving such a relationship.
For further information, please contact Deborah Baker
Disputes about the welfare and upbringing of children occur most frequently when the parents’ relationship is ended.
The most common issues are disputes about with whom a child/children should live, what arrangements should be made to see the non-resident parent or other family members, and what financial arrangements should be made for their welfare.
This is a difficult time for all concerned, especially for the children. We can help resolve the following issues:
For further information, please contact Les Durbin