Article by Tonicha Allen and Anna Chambers: No Fault Divorce, Help or Hindrance? – Park Square Barristers

Posted May 23rd, 2022 in chambers articles, divorce, families, marriage, married persons, news by sally

‘On the 6th of April 2022 to the delight of many family practitioners, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (DDSA 2020) instigated a momentous change to divorce proceedings. No fault divorce is now a legitimate way to end a marriage.’

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Park Square Barristers, 11th May 2022

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Withholding religious divorce controlling and coercive behaviour: Moher – Law & Religion UK

‘In 2021, the UK Parliament passed amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill and the Serious Crime Act which stipulated that withholding a Get can constitute a violation of those laws. The draft statutory guidance under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognised that withholding a religious divorce both by Muslim and Jewish husbands may constitute controlling or coercive behaviour and a form of spiritual abuse which could lead the husband to be imprisoned. This development was in reaction to various calls for action to tackle the issue of ‘chained wives’ in religious communities.’

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Law & Religion UK, 17th May 2022

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Levi Bellfield: Raab says granting marriage request ‘inconceivable’ – The Guardian

‘Granting Levi Bellfield’s request to get married in prison is “inconceivable” unless serious safeguarding concerns are addressed, Dominic Raab has said. Bellfield, who murdered Marsha McDonnell, Amelie Delagrange and Milly Dowler, is engaged and has requested a prison wedding, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’

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The Guardian, 12th April 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

2022 c. 28 – Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022

2022 c. 27 – Approved Premises (Substance Testing) Act 2022

2022 c. 26 – Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022

2022 c. 22 – Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022

2022 c. 20 – Professional Qualifications Act 2022

2022 c. 17 – Local Government (Disqualification) Act 2022

2022 c. 36 – Nationality and Borders Act 2022

2022 c. 34 – British Sign Language Act 2022

2022 c. 32 – Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022

2022 c. 29 – Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022

2022 c. 24 – Cultural Objects (Protection from Seizure) Act 2022

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 – Law & Religion UK

‘The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 (‘2022 Act’), originally a private Member’s bill introduced by Sajid Javid and Pauline Latham, has now become law. The Act will be brought into effect by Regulations, which are pending. The headline is that the Act will amend the Marriage Act 1949 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to raise the minimum age at which people can enter into a marriage or civil partnership in England and Wales from sixteen to eighteen. This brief post will focus, however, on exploring the new criminal offence the statute creates and the three implications of the legislation that remain unresolved.’

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Law & Religion UK, 10th May 2022

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Some practical pitfalls with England’s new divorce law – Family Law

Posted April 29th, 2022 in divorce, families, family courts, marriage, married persons, news by sally

‘From 6 April 2022 England and Wales has a new divorce law, so-called no-fault. It is the most significant divorce law change since 1969. It introduces an entirely new basis of obtaining a divorce and a new timetable. It will have different consequences for the applicant and the respondent. It allows joint petitions and joint applications for the final divorce. Service will be invariably by email as default service method. In any event, divorce itself is now an almost entirely online process. Nevertheless, however welcome this new law, there are significant flaws in its operation and application, particularly with the adverse impact on the respondent. This note looks at some of these pitfalls in practice.’

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Family Law, 28th April 2022

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Boost for public safety as four justice bills receive Royal Assent – Ministry of Justice

‘The government delivers on its pledge to protect the public better and restore confidence in the criminal justice system as four major bills became law today (28 April).’

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Ministry of Justice, 28th April 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

New law raises minimum marriage age to 18 in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted April 27th, 2022 in age of consent, children, civil partnerships, marriage, news, young persons by sally

‘The legal age of marriage and civil partnerships has been raised to 18 in England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 26th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Outdoor civil weddings and partnerships here to stay – BBC News

Posted March 15th, 2022 in civil partnerships, consultations, coronavirus, licensing, marriage, news by sally

‘Outdoor civil weddings and partnerships are being legalised permanently in England and Wales. Until last summer, non-religious ceremonies had to be held inside or in a permanent outdoor structure. The rules were relaxed to allow for more guests while coronavirus social distancing measures were in place.’

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BBC News, 15th March 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Wedding laws are outdated and restrictive, new research suggests – The Independent

Posted March 8th, 2022 in diversity, Law Commission, marriage, news, reports by sally

‘Wedding laws in England and Wales are outdated and restrictive, according to research from the University of Warwick and Exeter.’

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The Independent, 8th March 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Nelson man jailed for killing son-in-law’s mother over marriage feud – BBC News

Posted February 14th, 2022 in assault, families, homicide, imprisonment, marriage, news, sentencing, wounding by sally

‘A man who killed his son-in-law’s mother with an axe after his daughter’s marriage ended “acrimoniously” has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 12th February 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Humanist marriage: MPs call for legal recognition of ceremonies – BBC News

Posted January 28th, 2022 in equality, marriage, news, religious discrimination by sally

‘The UK government’s failure to legally recognise humanist weddings in England and Wales is “discriminatory”, MPs have argued, as they called for marriage reform.’

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BBC News, 27th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Recent case highlights need for law reform in forced/predatory marriage – Family Law

Posted January 24th, 2022 in elderly, families, family courts, forced marriages, marriage, mental health, news by sally

‘Predatory or forced marriages faced by individuals (usually elderly) whose mental capacity is in doubt or who are vulnerable to undue influence remain an open wound for many families.’

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Family Law, 12th January 2022

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Does the law on predatory marriage need to change? – Family Law

Posted January 10th, 2022 in consent, elderly, fraud, intestacy, marriage, news, wills by sally

‘In recent years there have been calls for a change in the law to protect vulnerable adults from falling victim to what has become known as “predatory marriage”. This is due to a rise in cases where fraudsters have married vulnerable and often elderly individuals, without the knowledge of their loved ones, and are then able to access the new spouse’s lifetime savings and inherit their entire estate under the intestacy rules, as marriage automatically revokes any previous Will a person may have made.’

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Family Law, 7th January 2022

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

How we marry is changing, and the law needs to keep up – Law & Religion UK

Posted December 6th, 2021 in Law Commission, marriage, news, statute law revision by sally

‘It has long been recognized that the law governing the process of getting married needs reform. Following on from Getting married: a scoping paper, published in December 2015, in September 2020 the Law Commission published Getting Married: A Consultation Paper on Weddings Law, setting out a series of provisional reform proposals for weddings law. An empirical study conducted by us titled “When is a wedding not a marriage? Exploring non-legally binding ceremonies” investigated wedding ceremonies taking place outside of the legal framework which reflected a variety of faiths, beliefs and non-beliefs. Drawing on the extensive data we gathered from September 2020 to May 2021, a Briefing Paper for the Law Commission has been published this week analysing the potential impact of the Commission’s proposals for reform.’

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Law & Religion UK, 4th December 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Research Briefing: Commons Library analysis of Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill 2021-22 – House of Commons Library

Posted November 18th, 2021 in age of consent, bills, children, civil partnerships, forced marriages, marriage, news by sally

‘This Commons Library briefing paper deals with the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill, a Private Member’s Bill which is due to have its Second Reading on 19 November 2021.’

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House of Commons Library, 17th November 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Parliament to vote on bill to ban child marriage in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘A bill that would ban child marriage in England and Wales will be presented to parliament for its second reading this week and has been welcomed by campaigners as a “huge stride” forward.’

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The Guardian, 16th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Does the law on predatory marriage need to change? – Family Law

Posted November 8th, 2021 in consent, families, forced marriages, fraud, intestacy, marriage, news, wills by sally

‘In recent years there have been calls for a change in the law to protect vulnerable adults from falling victim to what has become known as “predatory marriage”. This is due to a rise in cases where fraudsters have married vulnerable and often elderly individuals, without the knowledge of their loved ones, and are then able to access the new spouse’s lifetime savings and inherit their entire estate under the intestacy rules, as marriage automatically revokes any previous Will a person may have made.’

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Family Law, 5th November 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

High Court rejects appeal from sham marriages solicitor – Legal Futures

Posted October 12th, 2021 in appeals, disciplinary procedures, marriage, news, sham transactions, solicitors by sally

‘The High Court has rejected an appeal from a solicitor struck off twice by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after being recorded by an undercover TV reporter giving advice on what he knew was a sham marriage.’

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Legal Futures, 12th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Consultation for vaccine passports – England – Law & Religion UK

‘Late on 27 September 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care issued the Consultation Proposal for mandatory COVID certification in a Plan B scenario: call for evidence, asking for responses by 11 October, although it encourages stakeholders to submit views as quickly as possible in case there is need to introduce certification, as part of Plan B, at short notice.’

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Law & Religion UK, 28th September 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com