Senior judge renews calls for introduction of ‘no fault’ divorce in England and Wales – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 15th, 2015 in divorce, families, news, prenuptial agreements by sally

‘Laws governing divorce in England and Wales should be modernised to allow couples to divorce without accusing their ex of adultery or ‘unreasonable behaviour’, according to one of the country’s most senior judges.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th April 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Family of burglar who fell through roof face £250k bill for trying to sue council – Daily Telegraph

‘Judge rules in Staffordshire council’s favour after Thomas Buckett suffered 10 skull fractures and spent two weeks in a coma.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Family Arbitration – The Inner Temple

Posted April 8th, 2015 in arbitration, children, confidentiality, courts, dispute resolution, families, news by sally

Family Arbitration (PDF)

Sir Hugh Bennett

The Inner Temple, 30th March 2015

Source: www.innertemple.org.uk

Nzolameso v Westminster City Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and another intervening) – WLR Daily

Nzolameso v Westminster City Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and another intervening) [2015] UKSC 22; [2015] WLR (D) 165

‘A local housing authority, in carrying out its duties under the Housing Act 1996, was obliged to accommodate a homeless person in suitable accommodation within its district if it was reasonably practicable to do so. The authority was to determine the suitability of the proposed accommodation by reference to the needs of the individual homeless person and each member of her household and to its location. Where accommodation was offered outside the authority’s district, the placement was to be as close as possible to where the members of the household had previously lived. In reaching its decision, the authority was required to take account of the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012 (SI 2012/2601) and the guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. It was also required, by section 11(2) of the Children Act 2004, to have regard to the need to safeguard and to promote the welfare of the children concerned.’

WLR Daily, 2nd April 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Stranded Spouses and Immigration Control – Family Law Week

‘Sulema Jahangir, solicitor with Dawson Cornwell, explains the plight of wives and mothers who are stranded in foreign countries, often separated from their children, and unable to return to England because of immigration restrictions.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 31st March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Wife gets tenth of £2million demand after signing ‘post nuptial’ agreement – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 30th, 2015 in divorce, families, financial provision, news by sally

‘Caroline Hopkins challenged the terms of the settlement but judge rejected claim.’

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Daily Telegraph, 27th March 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Father who insisted he had a right to smack his children has son and daughter taken into care – Daily Telegraph

‘The father, from Rotherham, was completely open with social workers about his conviction that children benefit from corporal punishment.’

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Daily Telegraph, 27th March 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Wyatt (Appellant) v Vince (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Wyatt (Appellant) v Vince (Respondent) [2015] UKSC 14 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 11th March 2015

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Family Law Week’s Budget Briefing 2015 – Family Law Week

Posted March 24th, 2015 in benefits, budgets, families, news, social security, tax avoidance, taxation by sally

‘Jan Ellis, chartered accountant, of Ellis Foster LLP, a firm which specialises in advising family lawyers on tax-related family law issues, explains the budget changes of most relevance to family lawyers.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 18th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

New powers for relatives of missing people – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A new law will allow relatives of missing people to take charge of their family member’s property and financial affairs, such as suspending direct debit payments for mobile phone and utility bills, and making mortgage payments, the Ministry of Justice announced today.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Supreme Court splits the baby over the benefit cap – Mike Spencer – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R(on the application of SG and others (previously JS and others)) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2015] UKSC 16. The Supreme Court was sharply divided yesterday over whether the benefit cap breaches the Human Rights Act.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 19th March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Single dad adopts surrogate baby born to his mother – Park Square Barristers

Posted March 19th, 2015 in adoption, families, news, parental responsibility, surrogacy by sally

‘The single father in the recent case B v C & Others (Surrogacy: Adoption) [2015] EWFC 17 (Fam) successfully obtained an adoption order which was the only means open to him to secure his legal relationship with his surrogate son. Alison Hunt of Park Square Barristers represented the father in this unique case in the Family Court before Mrs Justice Theis. The judgment opens the way for other single would-be parents to proceed in the same way, but it also highlights the very real pitfalls and uncertainty which await them in this difficult process. It raises questions about whether parental orders should be available to single applicants as they are for couples.’

Full story

Park Square Barristers, 9th March 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Hockey stick killer Oral David Bryan jailed for life – BBC News

Posted March 18th, 2015 in children, domestic violence, families, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man who killed his ex-partner by hitting her with a hockey stick in front of their children has been sentenced to life in prison.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK benefit cap is lawful, supreme court rules – The Guardian

‘The supreme court has ruled that the government’s benefit cap, which limits unemployed claimants to £500 a week in total welfare payments, is lawful.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme court to decide whether UK benefits cap is unlawful – The Guardian

‘The Supreme court will decide on Wednesday if a cornerstone of the coalition government’s benefits policy is unlawful.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lawyers, Social Workers and the Proportionality Test – Family Law Week

‘David Bedingfield, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, considers the President’s judgment in A (A Child) [2015] EWFC 11 and the lessons to be derived by practitioners.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 9th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Pitfalls for Single Parents in Surrogacy – Family Law Week

Posted March 9th, 2015 in adoption, children, families, jurisdiction, news, surrogacy by tracey

‘Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE, Partner, and Colin Rogerson, Solicitor Advocate, both of Dawson Cornwell, consider the options for single parents seeking legal parentage of children born through a surrogacy arrangement.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 6th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Woman acted as surrogate mother for son’s IVF baby, court hears – The Guardian

Posted March 4th, 2015 in adoption, families, news, pregnancy, surrogacy by sally

‘A woman acted as a surrogate mother for a baby whose biological father is her adult son, a family court judge has been told.’

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The Guardian, 4th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Eirian Davies wins £1.3m of family farm in Carmarthenshire – BBC News

Posted February 26th, 2015 in agricultural holdings, compensation, employment, families, news, wills by sally

‘A farmer’s daughter has won £1.3m after working on her parents’ farm for nothing as a teenager while her sisters were having fun.’

Full story

BBC News, 25th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

President of Family Division inveighs against social engineering in adoption proceedings – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 25th, 2015 in adoption, care orders, children, custody, drug abuse, families, family courts, human rights, news by sally

‘In a scathing judgment, the president of the Family Division has condemned as “social engineering” a local authority’s application to remove a baby boy permanently from the care of his father and place him for adoption.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 25th February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com