‘Hazel Wright, Partner with Hunters Solicitors, highlights three cases which have emphasised the usefulness to family lawyers of the Human Rights Act.’
Family Law Week, 30th April 2019
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
‘A Home Office minister has apologised to a couple wrongly accused of entering a sham marriage, amid condemnation by politicians and human rights campaigners over the treatment of genuine couples.’
The Guardian, 15th April 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘On Friday 12 April, a new campaign was launched with aim of changing the teaching and practice of the Church of England to allow all couples to marry in church, regardless of their gender, sex or sexuality.’
Law & Religion UK, 12th April 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
‘A solicitor who was recorded by an undercover reporter giving advice on what he knew was a sham marriage has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).’
Legal Futures, 9th April 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘There is no longer just one way of ‘doing’ family in modern Britain. With much greater gender equality and social acceptance of different family forms, how we organise family life and our personal relationships has changed considerably in recent times. In some ways, the law in England and Wales has kept pace with change – same-sex civil partnerships in 2004 and same-sex marriage in 2013 are shining examples of progressive legislative landmarks. Yet we have witnessed clear policy reluctance to offer legal protection to opposite-sex couples who reject marriage, despite Law Commission recommendations in 2007 and despite many other countries including Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand having reformed their cohabitation law.’
Transparency Project, 26th March 2019
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘On 15 March, the Commons considered and agreed to the Lords Amendments to Tim Loughton’s Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill, which now goes for Royal Assent. We noted that “at some point … the Government will bring forward proposals for a digital registration system and will be introducing Regulations for opposite sex civil partnerships”. Many (other) commentators were quick to suggest that the changes relating to civil partnerships, marriage certificates, &c had already been incorporated within the law. However, an examination of the Bill documents reveals that it is comprised of enabling provisions, and additional secondary legislation is necessary before any of its provisions pass into law.’
Religion & Law UK, 26th March 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
‘Following mounting criticism from campaigners, the UK could witness the arrival of ‘no-fault divorces’ in the coming months, writes LexisNexis’ Catherine Gleave. The government is preparing a consultation to review the current divorce system, with a view to introduce a reform offer to estranged couples and give them the opportunity to end their marriage without the acrimony of fault-finding divorce proceedings. With such monumental change on the horizon, we discuss the impact of no-fault divorces and make predictions about what the change could mean for the legal world.’
Family Law, 6th March 2019
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘Solicitor advocate and law writer David Burrows writes that to define a valid marriage in English law is by no means obvious.’
Family Law, 7th February 2019
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘In this post Russell Sandberg, Professor of Law at Cardiff University, questions the current proposal for celebrants to face criminal penalties if they fail to ensure the marriage is also civilly registered. He argues that this will not cure concerns about unregistered religious marriages but rather underlines the need for comprehensive reform.’
Family Law, 15th January 2019
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘On 10 December 2018 responses were due to the government’s divorce reform proposals, Reducing family conflict Reform of the legal requirements for divorce (September 2018). A reply to responses is due from the Government, says the Ministry of Justice, by 8 March 2019.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 17th December 2018
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘In June 2018 the Supreme Court ruled in favour of a heterosexual couple who had argued that their inability to formalise their relationship through a civil partnership was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Prime Minister indicated in October that she would legislate to give all couples the same choices as to how to achieve legal recognition of their relationship for the first time, writes Ashford’s family solicitor Emma Mackay.’
Family Law, 22nd November 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘It must be a rare moment in legal history, when cakes are at the centre of Supreme Court Knights_S_146668decisions in the same year on both sides of the pond.’
UKSC Blog, 12th November 2018
Source: ukscblog.com
‘Relationships have been in the news in 2018. Not only did we see two Royal weddings, but at the opposite end of the romance spectrum, in June the UK Supreme Court ruled that it was discriminatory not to allow opposite-sex couples to form civil partnerships. Dianne Millen, an associate at Morton Fraser in Edinburgh, looks at relationships as seen in the eyes of the law.’
Family Law, 13th November 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘The Supreme Court unanimously and comprehensively reversed the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s decision in the “gay cake” case. The Supreme Court, in a decision of considerable significance for the United Kingdom as a whole, and beyond, held that the bakery would have refused to supply this particular cake to anyone, whatever their personal characteristics. So there was no discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. If and to the extent that there was an arguable case of discrimination on grounds of political opinion, no justification has been shown for overriding the bakery’s ECHR protections against compelled speech.’
Blackstone Chambers, 10th October 2018
Source: www.blackstonechambers.com
‘Couples could soon be allowed to get married outdoors as part of changes to the 180-year-old laws in an attempt to make the ceremonies more affordable.’
The Guardian, 27th October 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Family Law in Partnership director David Allison and associate Carla Ditz re-examine how and why civil partnerships came into being, the successful campaign to allow heterosexual couples to enter into a civil partnership and the proposals for 2committed siblings” to be able to form civil partnerships.’
Family Law, 24th October 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘David Burrows assesses the government’s proposals for an overhaul of divorce law, and supplies some suggestions of his own.’
Family Law, 22nd October 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
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