Finding accessible, reliable and user-friendly information online can be tricky. Simple google searches can return thousands of results and trying to trawl through that information to work out what is current, relevant and safe to rely on can be exhausting and confusing! If you are facing a relationship breakdown or a dispute regarding arrangements for your children we have set out below a list of top recommendations to help you…
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 introduced us to the new “No Fault Divorce” process, and greatly simplified the way in which marriages are brought to an end. It is no longer necessary to attribute blame, and divorce is now granted simply on the basis that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.
However, the divorce process does not sever the financial ties between married couples even after the divorce has been…
There is an ever increasing emphasis on non-court dispute resolution, which you might see referred to as NCDR or ADR. In essence this means resolving your family issue using a method other than an application to the court. Traditionally this meant mediation but a recent change to the family law rules has extended this to include arbitration, neutral evaluation, collaborative law as well as mediation. Basically, these are all types…
As we are starting to understand more about the incoming Government’s priorities what we do know is that the previous pledge around reforming Cohabitation rights, seems to have fallen off the agenda. For family law professionals this is disappointing but a familiar story. Interested parties have been campaigning for years about the need to protect former cohabitants, particularly women, following a relationship breakdown.
For those who have separated it…
Separating from a partner can be an overwhelming and traumatic life event, particularly where there are children involved. Knowing what to do and where to turn can seem confusing. Having a simple plan of action can help you feel more in control. Here are our top 5 tips for helping you get on the right track.
1. Keep communicating. If it is safe to do so, maintaining open communication with your ex-partner…
It seems like it was only yesterday that we were wrangling with the council over window signage and querying why our phone provider had inexplicably removed thousands of pounds from our office account for a system that they had not actually installed. They also kindly, without warning, decided to change our allocated phone number within days of us having ordered around 10,000 printed letterheads! Letterheads? Well, that does tell you how…
Since May 2018 members of the public have been able to submit their own divorce petitions online. Since April 2022 the new 'no-fault' divorce law has meant a radical new approach to divorce and for the first time there is no need to assign blame. In fact, divorcing couples can now even submit a joint divorce petition online. So, if it is possible for people to handle their own divorces and even…
The SRA has launched a new digital badge for Solicitors. The new badge, which can only be displayed by regulated firms, will show online visitors to our website that we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It will provide any visitor to our site with a link to information about the protections this provides to them as a consumer of legal services.
In a legal market place where increasing…
With the introduction of new divorce law on 6th April 2022 (Divorce Dissolution and Separation Act 2020), which simplifies the basis upon which marriage can be brought to an end, it is now easier to end the marriage. If you are considering divorce, what do you need to consider in order bring about that separation in a respectful and civilised way. Below are some of our tips;
Consider whether the marriage really…
As part of Oerton Simm' ongoing commitment to helping couples find better and more family focused ways of separating, Partner, Victoria, has recently completed her collaborative training through Resolution.
Collaborative practice is one of the options available to divorcing or separating couples as a means of helping them to resolve the legal, practical, financial and parenting issues which arise when the relationship has broken down.
Unlike the more traditional approach…