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Understanding Coercive Control: How Family Lawyers Can Help Protect Victims and Navigate Legal Challenges
What is Coercive Control? Coercive control is a form of domestic abuse. It is not physical abuse which might exhibit revealing marks; it is a form of emotional abuse whose signs are often difficult to recognise either for an outsider, or the victim themselves. Such...
What is a No-fault Divorce Solicitor?
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020) eliminated the need for couples wishing to divorce to apportion blame or endure years of separation prior to being granted the legal right of divorce. This change to the UK's divorce law aims to reduce conflict and...
How a Domestic Abuse Solicitor Can Foster Justice and Independence
Statistics show that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience domestic abuse or violence within their lifetimes [1]. This startling figure highlights the extent to which many men, women and children in our communities are living in fear of the very people who...
Understanding Parental Responsibility During Divorce
Usually, as soon as you become a parent, you assume parental responsibility for your child. This means that you must provide a home for your child, protect and care for them, educate them and support them financially. These responsibilities apply equally to married...
Divorce Mediation: What to Expect
Divorce is a complex process, the outcome of which is subject to many considerations, agreements and negotiations. Often, it can be hard for a couple going through such an emotionally challenging period to reach an amicable agreement without the help of an impartial...
Should Separated Parents Change a Child’s Arrangements Order?
A child arrangements order is an agreement under English family law that states a child's living arrangements and with whom they can have contact and spend time with. The term 'Child Arrangements Order' is an umbrella term that replaces 'custody', 'child access', or...
Helping Families with Cohabitation Agreements
There are many reasons why unrelated people choose to live together. Some may be involved in a romantic relationship which has not or has not yet progressed to marriage. Some live with friends or bring in a lodger to help share costs and reduce living expenses. Others...
Reflections On The Evolution of Child Arrangement Orders
Family Law has witnessed significant changes over the past decade, especially concerning fathers' applications for contact, to spend time with or to care for their children. In this comprehensive analysis, I shall reflect on the outcomes of fathers' contact...
Maximising Your Financial Settlement: A Family Solicitor’s Guide
As an experienced Family Law Solicitor, I am often asked questions relating to financial settlements after divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership. Below, I share some helpful insights. How can I achieve the best financial settlement? Within the realm of UK...
Reasons to Have a Postnuptial Agreement in Place
Many couples, particularly those where one partner has greater wealth, assets or business interests than the other, will enter into a prenuptial agreement prior to marriage. A prenuptial agreement is designed both to protect the parties’ interests should the marriage...
Do I Need a Family Law Solicitor?
A family law solicitor is a qualified legal expert who can help you to navigate complex and sometimes traumatic areas of law, including divorce, domestic abuse, estate planning and child contact. The full remit of a family law solicitor is broad and they work with...
Financial Settlements for Unmarried Couples
Unmarried couples do not have the same legal protections that marriage affords a divorcing couple. When an unmarried couple chooses to separate, a number of issues can arise over finances, individual responsibilities and ownership of property and assets that were...
Do we need a cohabitation agreement
It's easy to think that because you and your partner have been together for years and are buying or renting a property together, that you will benefit from the same legal protections to which you would be entitled if married. Unfortunately, however, in the eyes of the...
Can My Ex Partner Stop Me From Moving Away With My Child?
The breakdown of a relationship is a difficult time for any family and emotions can run particularly high when children are involved. Decisions have to be made regarding with whom the children will live and the contact arrangements that will be in place with the other...
Property Disputes During Divorce
The end of a marriage is never easy to experience, with divorce routinely cited among the most highly stressful life events we can go through. To make matters worse, one of the most common disputes covered by family law is over the assets held by a couple,...
Grandparents Rights and Seeing Grandchildren After Divorce
Being a grandparent is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. You get to love and care for a child, delight in watching them grow and learn, and most of all, still get a full night's sleep! Many grandparents are very involved in their grandchildren's lives,...
Overcoming Divorce and Separation
Some liken the emotions experienced after a divorce to those experienced when a loved one passes away. In many ways, this is a fair comparison, especially when the divorce was not amicable, or one party appears to have moved on far more quickly than their former...
How Long Does a Divorce Take in the UK?
Couples frequently ask how long a divorce takes. They often want the process to complete as quickly as possible so that they can separate their affairs and move on with their lives. For those who are unmarried but cohabiting, this is a relatively simple matter of...
How To Choose a Divorce Lawyer
Divorce is one of the most stressful experiences that any of us will encounter in our lifetime. For some, a marital breakdown is a precursor to financial concerns and uncertainty over housing and for many, the impact on their children will be a significant factor for...
What is parental alienation?
Parental alienation cases are often the most complex and difficult for both practitioners and the courts to deal with. They require expert intervention such that we provide at Goodsells Family Law. The experience of parental alienation is serious, and its impact can...
How are pensions split in divorce?
For most individuals, their pensions are often their most valuable asset and can be a cause for significant concern during a divorce, with many people wanting to protect their pension to secure their future During the process of divorce, each couple has a...