Divorce/Civil Partnerships

The term gaslighting refers to the manipulation of another by making them question their perception on reality by forcing them to doubt their memory and pushing a false narrative of events. The term was used in a High Court judgement in the family courts...

The Office for National Statistics released its yearly divorce statistics for 2020 on 2 nd February 2022. These have demonstrated that the total number of divorces in 2020 decreased by 4.5% in comparison with those of 2019. The 2020 statistics show that...

It can be incredibly hard for parents who are unable to spend Christmas with their children. There are often feelings of loneliness, jealousy and resent. Parents who are not living with their children often feel isolated; not being able to watch their...

Victims of alleged domestic abuse are having their cases dropped at an increasing rate. Statistically, it has been recorded that almost 13,000 cases have been dropped in both England and Wales over the duration of five years, due to the time limit to charge...

What is family mediation? Essentially, family mediation is a procedure whereby a mediator assists spouses to reach a fair arrangement with one another where property, finance and children are concerned. The mediator encourages both individuals to...

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic preventing the Pride Parade from taking place, June remains ‘Pride Month’ for the LGBT+ community worldwide. This blog post aims at covering the advances of the law impacting LGBT+ families and the regulations...

It has been confirmed by Ministers as a response to a Parliamentary Question on 7 th June that the implementation of no-fault divorce, which was meant to happen in Autumn 2021, has been postponed to 6 th April 2022. The reason behind the delay is the need...

High-profile divorces: where conflict can be directly proportional to the number of zeros in a bank account Although most divorces brought to the courts do not exceed tens or hundreds thousands of pounds in finances, sometimes cases can involve...

We are facing an unprecedented situation which the Lord Chief Justice has described as the biggest public health emergency in a century. It goes without saying that this is a very concerning and unsettling time for not just this country but the whole world. ...

The Central Family Court has approved a financial settlement for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler. This is Johnson’s second divorce with the parties separating in 2018 after 25 years of marriage. They have 4 children together....

We recently wrote about how justice secretary David Gauke planned to bring forward long awaited legislation that will remove the need for separating couples to allocate blame before seeking a divorce. You can read this blog in full by clicking here . ...

Over the years we have published many blogs and it got me wondering what I would want to know before picking up the phone and making an appointment to see a family solicitor.  Below you will find some questions and answers in bite size chunks which...

Over the years we have published many blogs and it got me wondering what I would want to know before picking up the phone and making an appointment to see a family solicitor.  Below you will find some questions and answers in bite size chunks which...

Domestic Abuse: How to recognise the signs and seek help   Sadly, it is too often the case that clients instruct us after they have been subject to years of abuse. We are often told that it is only with the benefit of hindsight that they fully...

Brexit: what does the UK’s divorce from the EU mean for Family Law?   Will Theresa May have to fight for her leadership? Will the draft withdrawal agreement prevail? Amidst all this uncertainty, we have addressed below areas of Family Law...

The government has announced that the law will be changed to allow opposite-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships, thereby providing an alternative to marriage. Currently, the choice of entering into either a marriage or a civil partnership is...

Why should you have to blame the other party just to prove to the Court that your marriage is over in order to obtain a divorce? Currently, there is one ground for divorce in England and Wales and that is; the marriage has broken down irretrievably. A...

Almost seven months after the issue of the Decree Nisi, celebrity couple Jamie and Louise Redknapp have arrived at a financial agreement in a saga which has plagued the tabloids this year. After Mrs Redknapp starred on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in...

Family law can be a minefield and most people turn to the Internet before even speaking to friends, for answers to their questions and worries. The problem is, there are quite a few misconceptions out there; so, here’s the actual truth on 5 of the most...

  According to the press, Monday 8 th January is “Divorce Monday” – the day when divorce lawyers are at their busiest.   Christmas has been a disaster and with the kids back at school you pick up the phone to...

At Chapman Pieri Solicitors we have seen a pattern emerging of an increase in new divorce enquiries in the month of September once the kids have gone back to school. We have found that generally, there is a decrease in the amount of divorce enquiries that we...

A couple of weeks ago Ryan Griggs was granted a divorce from his wife Michelle. The press described it as a “quickie divorce” but what does this mean in reality? The description leaves you with the impression that because Ryan Giggs is a...

The breaking news that Roman Abramovich is to divorce his wife Dasha Zhukova after ten years together will inevitably resurrect discussions about whether or not a spouse is entitled to more than half of the marital assets because of the special financial...

With an increasing number of divorcing couples going down the DIY route, the Court Services has introduced new and more user-friendly forms for petitioners to complete.   Does this mean the end to using solicitors in divorce cases ?   The answer...

Chinese citizens can pay an agency to sabotage their spouse’s extra-marital affair. The agency, known as Weiqing employs agents known as “mistress hunters” to target people who are seeing someone who is already married and gain their...

  We are beyond doubt a nation of animal lovers.   More than half of British households are said to keep at least one pet but what happens when you realise that although your love for your beloved pet is forever, your love for each other is...

In a recent article published by the Guardian, one of the most senior family Judges in England and Wales, Sir James Munby proposed that the divorce process should become an online process to avoid the administrative delay of processing divorce applications...

A High Court Judge has called for a change in the law that currently allows alleged domestic abusers to cross-examine their victims during civil proceedings.  Justice Hayden said that he would refuse to hear any future cases where this is allowed to...

In the jurisdiction of England and Wales, there is only one ground for divorce, the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage. If you are petitioning for divorce, you must rely on one of five possible facts to prove the irretrievable breakdown, one being...

A recent survey of 2,000 British people found that 57% thought that civil partnerships should be made available to all couples - both mixed-sex and same-sex. Currently civil partnerships are only available for same-sex couples which would appear to...

If you ever decide to tie the knot again after a divorce, you may really be putting the past behind you. Respondent parties who have not filed a cross-petition in divorce proceedings should beware of the “Remarriage Trap”. Broadly, unless the...

INTRODUCTION No matter how you cut it divorce or separation is painful.  Whether you are male, female, young or old, the one who is leaving or the one who has left. Relationship breakdown is right up at the top of the list of stressful life...

A ‘no fault’ divorce bill had its second reading in Parliament on the 4th December 2015. The bill was introduced on 13th October 2015 by Conservative MP Richard Bacon. Under current law, “one can get divorced in just five months”,...

In line with Michael Gove’s vision of creating a modernised, leaner and more efficient court and tribunals service, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed the Government’s intention of increasing the fee for issuing divorce proceedings from the...

In order to streamline the Family Court service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service have taken the decision to create 11 divorce centres within England and Wales.  Some divorce centres are already operational and the transfer of work is being phased with...

It is only natural that when one relationship ends, another one begins. But when it comes to divorce, when is the right time to start dating? To put it frankly, if you are thinking of embarking upon a new relationship before your divorce is finalised then...

On the 6th of March this year, we wrote about the government’s plans to increase the fee for filing a divorce petition with the Court to £750 which is over 1 ½ times more than the current fee of £410. Currently, an uncontested...

A study conducted by Leeds Metropolitan University has revealed that men ‘let themselves go’ and pile on the pounds after marriage. The study revealed that married men develop more of a sweet tooth and find themselves eating more cakes, buns and...

As from 10th December 2014, same sex couples already in a civil partnership will be able to convert their civil partnership to a civil marriage. They will be able to do so by attending a Registry Office and signing a declaration that they now wish to be...

Forced marriage is now a criminal offence punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. It is estimated that approximately 8,000 women a year are victims of forced marriage. Under Part 10, Section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act...

Today is the day on which a number of changes to family law will come into force. One of those changes is that Section 41 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is now repealed. What does this actually mean? Under Section 41 of the Matrimonial Causes Act...

Gwyneth Paltrow announced on her lifestyle website Goop last week that after over 10 years of marriage to Coldplay singer Chris Martin, they have made the decision to go their separate ways. She posted the following: “It is with hearts full of...

As from the 13th of March 2014, same sex couples wishing to marry from the 29th of March 2014 can now register to do so. Overseas same sex marriages are now also legally recognised. Couples can only marry 16 days after giving notice of their intention to...

Currently, there is a fee of £410 to pay when filing a divorce petition with the Court. If the government’s plans come into effect, this fee will be raised to a staggering £750. The government’s plans have been published in the...

A research report published by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in January 2014 suggests that relationship counselling can save relationships. The study was based on the following relationship intervention methods: 1. Marriage Preparation; a...

The law took a significant leap in the right direction in July 2013 when the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was passed. As from the 29th of March 2014, same sex couples will have the right to marry. This month will go down in history as the month in which...