Family, Care and Divorce

As what the press term the “divorce season” is almost upon us, I thought it might be interesting to share some recently published statistics about divorce…. – 42% of marriages now end in divorce – The average length of marriage for opposite sex couples is 11.9 years – The average age at the time of […]

Earlier this year, Family Law Solicitor Jessica Barnett, wrote various blogs relating to birdnesting and other more unusual approaches to raising children when separated. Within her most recent blog below she will discuss some examples of blended families… Celebrity Blended Families Following a recent Vogue post on Instagram (Ask and you shall receive! While answering […]

‘Can I Marry My Brother’s Wife?’ How an episode of Midsomer Murders prompted Timms Leonnie Watson to write a blog…. I was watching an old episode of Midsomer Murders where a widow married her deceased husband’s brother within 6 months of him dying – so a bit on the quick side but no longer illegal. […]

The Local Authority can share parental responsibility with parents. This happens when the Court has granted an Interim Care Order or a Final Care Order. Family Law Solicitor Lauren Richards discusses sharing parental responsibilities in her latest blog… When a child is born the mother of the child will have automatic parental responsibility – this […]

Family Law Solicitor, Melissa Knight, discusses how a recent Court of Appeal decision has attracted a lot of debate regarding Care Orders and Supervision Orders in her latest blog… There has been a recent Court of Appeal decision which highlighted some quite stark regional differences in the approach taken by Courts and practitioners when considering […]

On Friday 10th November 2023, we held our 10th annual Care Conference on the subject of Siblings in Care Proceedings. Titled ‘Is Blood Thicker Than Water?’ we were delighted to welcome experts in their field; Daniel Monk, Professor of Law at Birkbeck, University of London, Dr Jacqueline Lynch, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Barrister David Payne from […]

Back in July 2020 we wrote this blog on the importance of the sibling relationship. The article quotes extensively from the Nuffield foundation research ‘Monk, D. and Macvarish, J. (2018) Siblings, Contact and the Law: An Overlooked Relationship, London: Birkbeck.’ which remains the leading academic study on this topic. We are particularly delighted that on […]

Although the school summer holidays may seem a long time ago, many parents wish to take their child(ren) on holiday for October half-term and over Christmas. Parents will want to know what their rights are in relation to taking their child(ren) away and whether they need to have the other parent’s consent. What Are My […]

For many parents receiving a ‘letter before proceedings’ from the Local Authority will be an incredibly worrying and unsettling time. Family Law Solicitor, Lauren Richards, discusses what the letter means and what parents should do if they receive one…. What Is A Letter Before Proceedings? The ‘letter before proceedings’ or PLO (Public Law Outline) is […]

Jade’s Law has been attracting media attention recently after the Conservative government announced it would amend the Victims and Prisoners Bill to allow children greater protection against dangerous parents. What is Parental Responsibility? Parental Responsibility is a term that is used to describe the legal rights and responsibilities a parent has over their child. Background […]