Sarah was shocked to discover that her husband had been having an affair, with an entirely separate family with children, while he was away on business. She felt betrayed and angry - all the more so when her divorce lawyer explained that she would have to pay their...
relationships
Family Law Courtroom Chronicles: The Reality of Financial Orders in Divorce
#1 in a series of commentaries from the family law Courtroom. No names obviously, but a focus on the mechanics of many cases, which makes this experienced family lawyer despair of the system. FACT: Judges base their financial orders after a long marriage on the...
My husband has control of all the money -how can I challenge him in our divorce?
Eleanor was devastated when her husband of 30 years told her that he wanted a divorce. As a stay-at-home mum of four now adult children, she had been devoted to the home and family management as well as organising the inevitable social life which came with her husband...
Getting to a fair deal in divorce – even when you think that’s impossible
Everyone wants their divorce to be as painless as possible. But they also want a fair deal. How do you square that circle if you know nothing about the finances or one of you insists they have a right to more than seems fair, or the children’s needs seem to be...
Possession is not 9/10 of the law in divorce!
You do not automatically lose your rights over the family home if you move out. Particularly where property is owned by both or either of you, your name on the title, or a matrimonial home rights notice registered at the Land Registry, will protect your position until...
Deciding to retire early – how does that affect pensions in divorce cases?
Let's look at 2 hypothetical cases. Mr and Mrs Smith decided not to invest in pensions. They bought Buy to Let properties as investments for their retirement, and at the date of their separation, these were worth a net equity of £750,000. Mr and Mrs Jones invested...
“What are the main reasons for divorce in retirement?”
Married life typically goes in stages :- before children, with children, empty nest, retirement. Any new stage requires a reorganisation of the relationship and can lead to breakdown. The introduction of pension sharing in divorce has made it more possible for wives...
Woman divorces husband because he ‘never made me tea’
So many relationships end on a minor complaint like this – but a little enquiry usually reveals years of problems. No-fault divorce means that lists of allegations are no longer necessary, and allows both to put past disagreements aside and get down to making a fair...
“More men than women have thought about divorcing their partner in 2023”
In 2021, 63.1% of divorces were initiated by women, according to the Office of National Statistics. And yet this study suggests that men are more likely to think about it. Very interesting – why are the women more decisive? Is it because they have greater problems...