If you follow the news you will see a lot of details coming out of celebrity divorces such as the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case, much of which tends to make you quite glad not to be a celebrity yourself to be honest. You may ask yourself “why are we allowed to see details […]
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill has not quite finished its Parliamentary journey but if the House of Lords deal with the final amendment swiftly, it will then move on for Royal assent. It seems very likely that the final stages will pass without any major hiccups. Interestingly the Lord Chancellor told MPs that the […]
“Family Lawyer says there is no such thing as a quickie divorce!” was a line from a media article about the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill currently making its way through Parliament. It is true but the media seems obsessed with the use of ‘quickie divorce’, particularly around celebrities, as though they have access to […]
Here’s a surprising thing. If you are getting divorced the courts don’t care about who was the better spouse and the reasons driving you to separate will be of no interest to them. That’s a nasty shock to many people who initially regard the legal process as a chance to seek revenge. You may think […]
The thought of an engagement proposal and spending the rest of your days with the love of your life is all too often a fantasy many of us wish for. However, sometimes, engagements are nothing more than false promises and broken dreams. What with Valentine’s Day here once again, the ultimate declaration of love can […]
Having made it past Blue Monday, (this year, 20th January 2020 was alleged to be that day!), some couples may still find themselves considering a divorce. The period directly after Christmas and through to the end of February often results in one of the highest influx of divorce requests during the year. Whilst divorce may […]
In a day and age where life throws its everyday challenges at us, it is safe to say that most of us want someone in our lives to be able to share those daily triumphs and tribulations with. Dare I say it, we want our own real-life version of a fairy-tale love that Walt Disney […]
Put yourself into this scenario: You have gone as far as you can with your marriage and you want a divorce. You want to get it done, without fuss and delay, and you want to spend as little money as you can. You therefore look online and see websites offering an online divorce service. Some […]
Although a joyous and festive time of year for most, every year law firms consistently report that December to January is the peak time for couples to commence divorce proceedings. It is unlikely that the reason for this is one awkward incident with the in-laws on Christmas Day. With couples and families spending more time […]
There are a number of boutique/niche law firms (as well as some very large law firms), who position themselves as the champions of the very wealthy when it comes to dealing with family law and divorce matters. rhw often find ourselves representing clients who have former partners that have instructed one of those types of […]
Individual people have very different attitudes as to how they approach a divorce. Some clients want to know about every single aspect of the legal process, others just want their solicitor to get on with it, whilst a few are surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. Adjusting to the way our clients want us to […]
It is a well-recognised fact among Family Law Teams that the period after the traditional summer holidays (usually July and August) sees a steep increase in inbound divorce enquiries. Yes, it can be a bit depressing to think that what should be a fun time has actually become the catalyst for a terminal split but […]
As is often the case in divorce proceedings that make national news, two exceedingly wealthy individuals, Sir Andrew Cook and Baroness Angelika Hirsch-Stronstorff, have recently ‘resolved’ their financial proceedings after what can only assumed to be “one hell of a bun fight”. Sir Andrew, the chairman of William Cook, and Baroness Hirsch-Stronstorff, an interior designer, […]
Statistics have shown that grandparents play a vital role in the upbringing of their grandchildren. One in three families rely on grandparents for child care. Sadly, it has been found that 42% of grandparents lose contact with grandchildren following separation. This article will discuss the steps that grandparents can take to maintain contact with their […]
rhw are holding a FREE Family Law Clinic at “SiGNAL” in Bordon on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st May 2019 between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. SiGNAL is the popular shared work-space venue in central Bordon. rhw’s clinic will be held in a quiet and very discreet room within the complex. Want to get your life back […]
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the World’s wealthiest man and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, a novelist, announced on the 9th of January 2019 that they were getting divorced after a period of “loving exploration”. The announcement has raised some eyebrows amongst fellow family practitioners and I’m sure that certain Washington State attorneys are delirious […]
Brace yourselves everyone! The media is about to be full of stories about Monday 7th January being ‘National Divorce Day‘. For some reason this has grown as a story over the last few years and seems to get higher profile coverage every time it comes around. The truth of the matter is something rather more […]
Christmas is often projected in the media as being 100% fun and festive and for many it is. However, the truth for some people is often something a little less fun and is actually very stressful due to their domestic circumstances and/or finances. If you are having relationship issues already, the Christmas period can accentuate […]
Is December a bad month for getting things done? In recent years there has been a slow but definite trend, within the legal sector, from the month being regarded as a bit of a write off, to being something more interesting in terms of getting preparations in place for the great return to work in […]
For a case that generated so much interest, both with Family Lawyers and the general public, the end result of the infamous Owens case was a rather disappointing finale. Just to recap: Mrs Owens petitioned to dissolve her marriage on the basis of Mr Owens’ unreasonable behaviour. Mr Owens defend the allegations and, eventually, the […]
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that denying heterosexual couples the right to have a Civil Partnership was inherently discriminatory. Hot on the heels of this judgement, The Prime Minister recently announced her government’s intentions to make it possible for heterosexual couples to enter into Civil Partnerships, rather than get married. Would this be an […]
We women are not always very good at showing one another the solidarity of sisterhood that perhaps we should. I give you an example. I was having birthday drinks with some friends recently when one of my friends piped up: “How do you feel about being a part time Mum Samantha?” I replied “What do […]
The case of Kim Waggott and William Waggott which was dubbed ‘the meal ticket for life’ has returned to court. Kim Waggott had been awarded £9.7m in the original financial proceedings, with £175,000 in annual maintenance payments for the rest of her life. However Mrs Waggott considered the deal an unfair one as she would […]
Jamie and Louise Redknapp apparently ended their 19 year marriage in 25 seconds in a “quickie divorce”. Gary Lineker says he divorced quickly and easily online and then took a swipe at the legal profession who are apparently, the root of all evil (yeah, right!). If you read the papers you can apparently end your marriage […]
The introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 [‘LASPO’] on 1st April 2013, effectively blocked access to legal aid for most Family Law cases outside where domestic violence or child abuse issues are involved. Legal Services Payment Orders were introduced as an attempt to address the problem that LASPO caused […]
Thousands of unmarried couples in Surrey at risk of losing everything if their relationship breaks down This week marks Cohabitation Awareness Week, the focus of which is to raise awareness about the lack of rights that exist for unmarried couples who live together. With about 7 million people in the UK living in this type […]
Google key words around the area of Divorce and you will unleash a tsunami of promises based on either extraordinarily low level priced ‘fixed fee divorces’, so-called ‘quickie divorces’ and the alternative ‘non-legal divorce solutions’. Some of them seem to be claiming to be able to divorce you for little more than a round of […]
Just before my 17th birthday my parents separated. I remember the night well. I was sat in the dining room struggling my way through my sociology A-Level homework. I left the room to go for a break and as I passed the sitting room, where my parents were, I overheard my Mum say, “When are […]
When on holiday recently I read a book by Sophie Kinsella called ‘The Wedding Night’. Yes, I know that some of you literary snobs will disapprove of my choice of books but before you judge me read on. The book focuses on two sisters; one who is going through a bitter divorce and the other […]
There is only one ground for divorce; the irretrievable breakdown of marriage. One of the most commonly used facts to prove that a marriage is beyond repair is unreasonable behaviour, and the petitioner must provide some examples of their spouse’s bad behaviour in the divorce petition. The behaviour must be such that the petitioner cannot […]
As a family lawyer and a keen football fan, I was particularly interested in a report in the media last year which brought into focus a very 21st Century phenomenon, along with online dating, shopping and beyond – online divorce services. Former footballer and Match of the Day host, Gary Lineker sought a divorce after […]
‘Tis the season to be… erm… thinking about your marriage? Sadly divorce enquiries rise substantially in January, after the pressures of Christmas holidays come home to roost. Financially and emotionally January can be tough and help finally to ring the death knell for a relationship that has been troubled for some time. If you feel that you need to […]
Divorce has been a part of our society for centuries, but over time the expectations and assumptions of divorcing parties has developed and changed. Spousal maintenance is no longer viewed as a guaranteed income for the primary carer of the couple’s children especially when retirement is looming, and the recent pension changes brought in last […]
This is a video featuring Samantha Jago talking about the process and benefits of mediation in Divorce proceedings. Transcript of Samantha’s video advice on mediation: Hello my name is Samantha Jago and I am a family mediator and family lawyer with rhw Solicitors based in Guildford. I’m at the Starting Over Show today to offer the […]