Category: marriage

Civil partnerships for heterosexual couples: what you need to know – Family Law

Posted February 5th, 2020 in civil partnerships, equality, families, inheritance tax, marriage, news, prenuptial agreements, taxation, wills by sally

‘As of 31st December 2019, it is now possible for both same-sex and heterosexual couples to enter into a civil partnership. The institution was initially devised solely for same-sex couples through the Civil Partnership Act 2004; it was meant to be a distinct separate relationship status for same-sex couples akin, but different to, a marriage. This has now changed and moving into 2020, heterosexual couples may opt for a civil partnership instead of a marriage.’

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Family Law, 5th February 2020

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Humanist weddings and the Marriage (Approved Organisations) Bill – Law & Religion UK

Posted January 15th, 2020 in bills, equality, marriage, news by sally

‘On 9 January, Baroness Meacher introduced the Marriage (Approved Organisations) Bill in the House of Lords.’

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Law & Religion UK, 14th January 2020

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Family Law Newsletter #32 – Spire Barristers

Posted January 9th, 2020 in care orders, civil partnerships, guardianship, marriage, news by sally

‘Articles from around the web, Legislation updates and Case Updates from Care Proceedings and Financial Remedy matters.’

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Spire Barristers, 6th January 2020

Source: spirebarristers.co.uk

Divorce reform swiftly returns to parliament – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 8th, 2020 in bills, divorce, marriage, news, reasons by sally

‘The government has swiftly put long-awaited divorce reform back on the agenda after reintroducing legislation to end what the justice secretary called ‘needless antagonism’.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th January 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Islamist fighter’s wife Amaani Noor guilty of £34 terror donation – BBC News

Posted December 13th, 2019 in families, internet, Islam, marriage, married persons, news, terrorism by sally

‘A woman who married an Islamist fighter online has been convicted of funding terrorism.‎’

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BBC News, 12th December 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Civil Partnerships – A new inequality created by the correction of an old one? – 5SAH

Posted December 10th, 2019 in civil partnerships, equality, human rights, marriage, news, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘Civil partnerships are now to be open to all but the solution of that problem has led to another – while same-sex couples can convert a civil partnership to a marriage, there is no provision for opposite-sex couples to do the same.’

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5SAH, 9th December 2019

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

British women ‘being forced into polygamous relationships’ because law lets them down, campaigners say – The Independent

Posted November 25th, 2019 in islamic law, marriage, married persons, news, women by sally

‘British women are increasingly being pressured into polygamous relationships or left without child support when relationships break up because UK law does not offer adequate protection to spouses in religious marriages, campaigners have warned.’

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The Independent, 25th November 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

High Court rules marriage between trans man and woman invalid by as both were legally female during ceremony – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 21st, 2019 in birth certificates, families, gender, human rights, marriage, news, transgender persons by sally

‘A High Court judge has ruled that a marriage between a woman and a trans man was void because both parties were legally female during the ceremony.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th November 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ban child marriage: safeguard futures – Counsel

Posted November 20th, 2019 in children, consent, marriage, news by sally

‘Child marriage is ‘any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child’ (UNICEF). Child marriage is not a criminal offence in England and Wales. Children can marry between the ages of 16-17 with parental consent in accordance with s 3 of the Marriage Act 1949. Marriages that take place involving children below the age of 16 are void but they are not criminalised. There is no legal provision currently in place that prevents religious or customary child marriages, at any age, from taking place. Often religious or customary marriages carry even more weight than civil marriages within certain families or communities. Whilst there may only be a minority of civil marriages taking place with parental consent between children from the ages of 16-17 years old, it is unknown how many British children are married abroad and how many religious and customary marriages involving children take place each year.’

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Counsel, November 2019

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Civil partnerships legislation – unfinished business – Law & Religion UK

Posted November 18th, 2019 in civil partnerships, consultations, equality, homosexuality, marriage, news, parliament, statutory interpretation by sally

The draft Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 (“the Regulations”) was the first item of the secondary legislation within the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 (“the Act”) to achieve the necessary approval of both Houses under the affirmative resolution procedure. It was also the last item of debated business before parliament was dissolved on 6 November. Through section 2(2) of the Act the regulations were subject to a “sunset clause” which required them to be in force by the end of December, and as such, only limited time was available for its scrutiny and approval; this left a number of items of unfinished business, and these are summarized below.

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Law & Religion UK, 18th November 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Marriages of Convenience: Preparation and Procedures – Drystone Chambers

Posted November 7th, 2019 in appeals, immigration, marriage, news by sally

‘Recently I was instructed on an EEA case, where a marriage between an EEA national and an Albanian national was alleged to be a marriage of convenience after a “Mr and Mrs” marriage interview. The unusual feature in this case was that they had answered virtually all of the questions put to them with a high degree of consistency, which would usually be taken as evidence of the marriage being genuine.’

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Drystone Chambers, October 2019

Source: drystone.com

Bride-to-be fleeced fiance’s stag party out of £11k – BBC News

Posted October 30th, 2019 in compensation, forgery, marriage, news, sentencing, suspended sentences, theft by sally

‘A bride-to-be frittered away her fiance’s stag party kitty, leaving him and his friends stranded at a UK airport, a court has heard.’

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BBC News, 29th October 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The House of Lords on marriages and sharia law – Law & Religion UK

Posted October 25th, 2019 in cohabitation, interpretation, islamic law, marriage, news, parliament, women by sally

‘The issue of unregistered religious marriages has come up once again in the House of Lords. On 23 October, Baroness Cox asked the Government:

“what progress they have made in implementing the first recommendation of The independent review into the application of sharia law in England and Wales, published in February 2018, in order to protect Muslim women in Islamic marriages which are not civilly registered.”’

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Law & Religion UK, 24th October 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill – Family Law

Posted October 14th, 2019 in bills, divorce, families, marriage, news by sally

‘Over the past 12 months, there has been much media coverage regarding reforming this country’s divorce system. To date, concerns about protecting the sanctity and institution of marriage have prevented the law from keeping up with the modern family and changing societal values. However, following the high profile case of Owens v Owens the government proposed changes to legislation in September 2018. Stewarts took part in the consultation on these changes, and here, Lucy Gould discusses the proposed legislation and its historical context.’

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Family Law, 11th October 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Moher v Moher: Non-disclosure leads to closure – Family Law week

Posted August 29th, 2019 in disclosure, divorce, financial provision, Judaism, marriage, news by sally

‘Alexandra Goldrein, a solicitor with Irwin Mitchell, considers a recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning non-disclosure and the award of spousal maintenance to a wife pending the husband’s grant of a Jewish divorce.’

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Family Law week, 28th August 2019

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Woman sentenced for faking terminal illness to con charity into paying for her wedding – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted August 19th, 2019 in cancer, charities, community service, fines, forgery, fraud, marriage, news, sentencing, suspended sentences by sally

‘A woman who claimed she had terminal cancer so she could con a small charity into paying for a wedding ceremony has today been sentenced.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 16th August 2019

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Enforcing the registration of marriages – lessons from Scotland – Law & Religion UK

Posted August 14th, 2019 in marriage, news, registrars, Scotland by michael

‘An understandable degree of disquiet has been generated by the mistaken suggestion that couples who do not register their completed marriage document within seven days of the wedding will be subject to a significant fine. This has been widely reported and follows from an update of the meeting between the Church of England and Church in Wales, and the General Register Office (GRO). The information provided to this meeting appears to be based upon a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of the intentions of the provisions within the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019.’

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Law & Religion UK, 14th August 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Forthcoming JCPC challenge to same-sex marriage prohibition in Bermuda – Law & Religion UK

Posted July 31st, 2019 in appeals, Bermuda, homosexuality, human rights, marriage, news, Privy Council, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘Does a law prohibiting same-sex marriage violate the right to manifest one’s religion or belief? This novel argument will soon be tested in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), where the Government of Bermuda will be appealing against successive decisions by the island’s first instance and appellate courts to strike down legislation which prohibited same-sex marriage.’

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Law & Religion UK, 30th July 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Lady Hale speaks on the evolution of the concepts of marriage and family – Family Law

Posted July 15th, 2019 in families, marriage, news, surrogacy by sally

‘Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court, has given a speech at the International Centre for Family Law, Policy and Practice on the subject of ‘What is a 21st Century Family?’. In her speech, given on 1 July but published yesterday by the Supreme Court, Lady Hale considers the evolution of the concept and history of the institution of marriage and the changes to the role of the family.’

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Family Law, 10th July 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Heterosexual couples may be allowed to convert marriages to civil unions – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2019 in civil partnerships, equality, marriage, news by sally

‘All heterosexual couples in England and Wales will be offered the chance to “convert” their marriages to civil partnerships, or vice versa, under plans being considered by ministers.’

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The Guardian, 10th July 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com