BLong Blog

Category Archives: Family & Relationships

Marrying (or divorcing?!) for money

avatar By  Lisa Collins | 29 April 2013

On 21 April, The Sunday Times published the long awaited ‘rich list’. The familiar names of David Beckham and Jamie Oliver all predictably featured on the list but somewhat unexpectedly, so did ten women, thought to be the ‘richest divorcees’. At the top of the list is Slavica Ecclestone, the former wife of Fomula 1 [...]

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The cost of divorce

avatar By  Lisa Collins | 4 March 2013

Last week, a report released by the Legal Ombudsman showed that complaints by clients about costs were higher in family law than any other area (read a BBC article about it here). A warning has been issued to all divorce lawyers (of which, I am one) urging them to keep track of their client’s costs [...]

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Gay marriage to become a reality

avatar By  Calum Irvine | 13 February 2013

I was extremely pleased to see the result of the recent parliamentary vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill which passed earlier this week. As a result of this it looks like same sex couples will now have the option to marry, as well as having the option to enter into a civil partnership. [...]

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Child abduction by parents

avatar By  Philip Hoddell | 24 January 2013

I have blogged before about cases where children have been taken from their country of residence by one parent.  The preliminary legal argument is then usually about whether the children should be returned to the country they came from for the courts there to decide their long term future. The Foreign Office has just revealed [...]

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How old is old enough?

avatar By  Philip Hoddell | 13 December 2012

I have written before about the legal implications of a parent unilaterally moving children from one country to another. The usual rule is that children should be promptly returned to the country where they usually live, for legal decisions about their future to be made in the Court there. A recent decision of the High [...]

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D is for Divorce…..

avatar By  Lisa Collins | 12 December 2012

Back in August 2011, I posted a blog about an online petition which had been started to have two of Sesame Street’s most loved characters, Bert and Ernie, enter into a civil partnership. At the time, the petition sparked controversy and debate across the country, however it has, for the time being at least, now been [...]

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Marathon divorce battle looks set to continue…

avatar By  Lisa Collins | 4 December 2012

On 31 October 2012, I posted a blog http://bit.ly/QTRmhK about a wealthy oil tycoon, Mr Michael Prest, who had just been told he no longer had to hand over assets of £17.5 million to his former wife as part of their financial settlement. This was because the previous Judge who decided the case had incorrectly ‘pierced [...]

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Government introduces a presumption of shared parenting

avatar By  Philip Hoddell | 30 November 2012

The government has confirmed that it intends to introduce legislation to provide for a presumption of shared parenting. The Children Act of 1989 will be amended to provide that a Court is to presume, unless the contrary is shown, that involvement of each parent in the life of a child will further the child’s welfare. [...]

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The end of a meal ticket for life?

avatar By  Philip Hoddell | 16 November 2012

Legal commentators are getting very excited about a divorce case that has recently been heard in the Court of Appeal (and where the Court’s decision will be delivered at a later date). Multi millionaire hotel boss Andrew Davies has asked the Court of Appeal to reduce the £2.75 million he was ordered to pay to [...]

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What do we need?

avatar By  Calum Irvine | 16 November 2012

“Judge hits out at wives who demand ‘completely inappropriate’ payments” “Scrap mega-bucks divorce payout for wives” These are just a couple of the headlines generated by the divorce of Mr and Mrs Davies. This is a fairly high value case with matrimonial assets including a hotel business worth around £6million and a matrimonial home worth [...]

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