family law

As we turn our calendars to December, and we can finally start getting into the Christmas spirit, our family law solicitors Alex Haworth and Gemma Nicholls-Webber share several of their favourite family law topics with a festive twist. Over the first 12 working days of December, they’ll be giving their family law version of the […]

New resources for separating parents to support their children Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service) has recently launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, a new course and set of resources for parents to help them think about how to prioritise their children’s needs while they are separating. Planning Together for Children […]

On 23 March 2023, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to make mediation mandatory, aimed at protecting children from the damaging impact of bitter courtroom battles, diverting thousands of family disputes away from the Court and in turn, easing court pressures and prioritising the most serious cases. The MOJ expects to help up to 19,000 […]

Leading national law firm, Freeths LLP, has strengthened its offering in the Southeast with the appointment of Partner Gavin Scott to lead the highly regarded family team in Oxford. This latest appointment will see Gavin expand the team, while working alongside colleagues nationally. With over 20 years’ experience, Gavin’s expertise spans all aspects of family […]

National law firm Freeths has appointed family law solicitor Nikki Aston as a Director in its Nottingham office. Nikki joins from Shakespeare Martineau and will look to lead Freeths’ Family Law team in the East Midlands as it continues to bolster the practice nationally. With more than 17 years’ experience, she advises clients on a […]

Big changes are afoot in family law. No fault divorce is coming into force on 6 April 2022, bringing the biggest change in family law in 50 years. To put the current laws into context, the year they came in Elvis Presley gave the first concert performed worldwide on TV, US troops started leaving Vietnam […]

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (“DDSA 2020”) received Royal Assent in June 2020 paving the way for ‘no fault divorce’, bringing about the biggest change in divorce law in the last 50 years. Back in 1990, the Law Commission identified many problems with the current process, so this change has been a long […]

The government announced on Friday that it is investing £1m in family mediation, to support families to resolve issues relating to children. Under the scheme, the Ministry of Justice will provide contributions of up to £500 per family, to resolve issues relating to children following parental separation. Mediation will be provided by Family Mediation Council […]

Did your partner’s chewing become especially loud during lockdown? Has home co-working with your partner provided surprising insights into their use of the phrase “let’s circle back on that” during Zoom calls? It would seem that we have all learnt a lot, good and bad about our partners and family whilst in lockdown. It may […]

An application to be appointed as a Property and Financial Affairs and/or Health and Welfare Deputy, for a person lacking mental capacity (hereafter referred to as “P”) can seem quite a daunting process. The process involves the completion of a number of Court of Protection forms, to include information about P, such as their date […]