Family Law Guidance

People are asking our estate planning solicitors about the UK rules on gifting money to family members as it is widely reported that the new Labour government may change the inheritance tax rules in the October 2024 budget. In this article, our estate planning lawyers and family solicitors outline the thought process that should go into gifting money to family members. For expert family law and estate planning advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form.  Why gift money to your family members? In 2020-21, the latest year for which data is available, families received over £2 bn of cash gifts from their loved ones. There are many reasons why money is given to family members, such as: You have more than you think you need  You don’t want your estate to pay inheritance tax or you want to reduce the IHT bill Your family needs a helping hand and could do with all or part of their inheritance now rather than waiting to inherit under your Will  All these reasons need to be aligned and work together. For example: You don’t want to maximise your inheritance tax savings but leave yourself short because you don’t have enough to live on or to meet unexpected expenditure  You don’t want your gift to a family member to end up being shared with their husband or wife as they have decided to separate or divorce  That’s why it is essential to carefully think through what you are planning to do and why and to get the timing of your gift right. That’s just as important as understanding the UK rules on gifting money to family members. How much money can you give family members? You can gift any amount of money to your family or friends during your lifetime but there are rules on whether the money will be notionally added back into your estate when you die and when your estate’s inheritance tax liability is calculated. If you gift money or assets and inheritance tax is payable on the gift when you die then the liability for the IHT may end up with the recipient of the gift – not your estate. The inheritance tax rules say that the estate pays the inheritance tax on gifts unless the deceased gave away more than £325,000 in gifts in the 7 years before their death. Once that limit has been reached the person receiving the gift pays the tax if the deceased dies within 7 years of the gift. The IHT rules can have unanticipated consequences. That’s why it is important to understand the UK rules on lifetime gifting and how they could impact your decision-making and your relatives. [related_posts] Inheritance tax rules and family gifting Not all estates are liable to pay IHT so it is important to understand your estate’s potential IHT liability before you start estate planning. If your estate is likely to have to pay inheritance tax you can currently give money or assets to the family as a tax-efficient way to give money to your children, grandchildren, other family members or friends. Gifts given less than 7 years before your death could still be subject to IHT depending on: Who you made the gift to The amount given  The date of the gift For example, if you give any amount of money or property to your husband, wife or civil partner during your life then those gifts are IHT-exempt provided your spouse or civil partner lives in the UK. For example, you can give money away that will be IHT free provided you stick to rules on the amount. Under the annual exemption rule, you can give away a total of £3,000 of money or gifts each tax year without the £3,000 being taxable when you pass away.  In addition to the £3,000 annual exemption, there is a small gift allowance of £250 per person or a gift allowance for weddings and civil partnerships. The wedding gift allowance is:  £5,000 to a child £2,500 to a grandchild or great-grandchild £1,000 to any other person There are rules on what allowances can be combined in one tax year so it is best to take legal advice.   If you make regular payments to help a family member with their living costs these can be IHT exempt provided they are normal expenditures out of income and you can: Afford the payments after meeting your usual living costs Make the gifts out of your regular monthly income rather than savings Other gifts to family members might fall within IHT liability but the recipient may benefit from IHT reliefs using the 7-year rule. The 7-year rule No IHT is payable on any gifts you give if you live for 7 years after giving them as part of the 7-year rule. If you die within 7 years of giving a gift and the gift does not fall within another IHT allowance then the amount of IHT payable at the date of your death depends on when you gave the gift. Gifts given in the 3 years before your death are taxed at the IHT tax rate of 40%. Gifts given 3 to 7 years before your death are taxed if your estate is over the threshold to pay IHT. The IHT rates taper: Time in years between gift and death Rate of inheritance tax   3 to 4 years 32% 4 to 5 years 24% 5 to 6 years 16% 6 to 7 years 8% 7 or more 0%   The IHT rules mean it's important to keep a record of gifts made, the amount or value. Why gift money to your family isn’t just about inheritance tax  Inheritance tax mitigation is not normally the main driver for gifting money to family. For example, you may want to give your family money because: They are on an NHS waiting list and you want them to have private treatment  They can't afford to buy a home and are finding it impossible to find an affordable rental property  Grandchildren are in private education and their parents can no longer afford the school fees because of cost-of-living pressures and the VAT hike Your child is getting divorced and they can't afford to buy a decent house with the money they are getting in their divorce financial settlement  There are other reasons why you may want to gift money to your family but whatever the reasons it is essential to get comprehensive estate planning and family law advice. Protecting your wealth  Protecting your wealth isn’t just about sensible IHT planning. It also involves input from a family law solicitor to make sure that your loved one is protected by a suitable relationship agreement such as a cohabitation agreement, prenuptial agreement or postnuptial agreement. Our team of specialist estate planning and family agreement solicitors can provide you with the comprehensive estate planning and family relationship agreement advice needed to safeguard your family.  For expert family law and estate planning advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form. 

Cohabitation rights are in the news as many family law solicitors expected the new Labour government to include a Bill on cohabitation rights in the King’s speech. There was no announcement although in its manifesto the Labour party pledged to reform cohabitation law with rights for unmarried partners. Although law reform may be on the cards in future King’s speeches cohabitees will have to wait for change. That’s why in this blog our family law solicitors are looking at the current laws on cohabitation and your options if you are in an unmarried relationship. For expert family law advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form.  What are your rights as an unmarried partner?     Your cohabitation rights as an unmarried partner depend on whether you have children under the age of 18 who are dependent on you. If you don’t have children your cohabitation rights are linked to property and trust laws. If you do have children your rights also include the ability to apply for financial orders under the Children Act 1989 and for child support from the Child Maintenance Service. Property and trust rights Property and trust rights can apply to the family home, investment property, a second home or other assets. The property can be owned jointly with your partner, owned by your unmarried partner or by you in your sole name. The easiest way to sort out a property claim is where there is a jointly owned property and the couple has given thought to whether they own the property as joint tenants or as tenants in common and have signed a deed of trust or cohabitation agreement saying how the equity will be split if they separate. The hardest cohabitation rights cases to resolve are where the family home is owned by one partner and the other says they have a beneficial interest in the property relying on property or trust law because they did not sign a cohabitation agreement when they moved into the property or when the property was bought in the sole name of their partner. In property and trust cases the partner claiming a share of the family home needs to show that they have a beneficial interest in the property through promises made by their partner or financial or ‘money’s worth’ contributions. For example, the partner could have paid the mortgage or used an inheritance to pay for an extension to the property or done DIY and put in a new kitchen and bathroom. In some cases, the owning partner accepts that their unmarried partner has a beneficial or non-legal interest in the family home but they cannot agree on the amount the non-owning partner should be paid to ‘buy off’ their interest or what percentage of the equity they should get when the property is put up for sale when a couple split up. If an agreement cannot be reached through solicitor negotiation or family mediation the court must resolve the cohabitation dispute using property and trust law principles. [related_posts] Resolving cohabitation disputes   It can be hard for couples to resolve unmarried partner disputes for several reasons, including: The legal owner of the property does not accept that someone can claim a share of their property as the non-owning partner is not on the title deeds One unmarried partner does not accept that their share of the equity in the family home won't be worked out using principles of fairness and needs. If you are married the court has wide discretion under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 to make a financial court order based on both parties' needs rather than analysing property and trust law. The family court must adopt the opposite approach in a cohabitation dispute over a family home A cohabitation property dispute often involves looking at historical paperwork to see how much of the mortgage was paid by the claimant or in working out the cost of the extension when many of the trades were paid in cash or invoices have been mislaid One partner may think that they have acquired cohabitation rights as a common law husband or wife because of the length of their relationship. In English law, there is no concept of common law cohabitation rights     Family law solicitors always recommend a cohabitation agreement so there is less scope for a dispute over cohabitation rights and no need to go to court if you split up from your unmarried partner. Cohabitation rights if there are dependent children   If there are dependent children in an unmarried relationship then you may have parenting arrangement disputes as well as financial disputes. Parenting arrangement disputes include: Disputes over which parent the children should live with after the separation  Contact arrangements Applications for child arrangement orders to sort out residence and contact issues Disputes over the exercise of parental responsibility, such as religious observances or choice of school International family issues, such as one parent wanting to move overseas with the children and the other parent objecting to the move abroad Financial disputes include: If child support should be paid and the amount. If care is shared neither parent receives child support even if one parent earns more than the other. If child support cannot be agreed an application normally needs to be made to the Child Maintenance Service. The Child Maintenance Service assessment amount will depend on the average overnight stays the children have with the parent they don’t live with    Top-up child support through a court order. This is only relevant where the parent paying child support is a high-earner  School fee orders to pay for private school fees. The court can order one parent to pay all the fees or a proportion of them Requests for lump sum orders to meet the needs of dependent children. For example, if the child is musical and needs a musical instrument  Requests for housing for children whilst the children are still at school or university. If the court orders housing to be provided the property does not belong to the child or the parent living in the property with the child. A Schedule 1 Children Act order means the child and parent can live in the property until the child reaches a specified age and the other partner then gets to sell the property or do what they want with it Cohabitation rights and the death of a partner If an unmarried partner passes away then their cohabitee is not their legal next of kin. Their children will be or the situation will be more complex if the deceased partner also had children from a prior relationship or is survived by parents or siblings. Anyone in a cohabiting relationship should have a Lasting Power of Attorney in case they lose the capacity to make their own decisions. They also need a Will to protect their partner. Without a Will, the cohabitee could make a claim under intestacy rules but the process is stressful at a time of bereavement and might involve an estate dispute with step-children or with the cohabitee’s parents or siblings. You should not assume that a cohabitee will automatically get the family home as this only applies if the property was jointly owned as joint tenants rather than as tenants in common.  The complexities of cohabitation rights and the death of a partner can be resolved with a bespoke Will and a review of your financial and personal circumstances to check that any pension or insurance nominations are up to date. Next steps  If you are in a cohabiting relationship you need to speak to a family solicitor about a cohabitation agreement. You can sign one even if you have already bought a property and are living together. You also need to think about Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. If you are separating from a partner and you are not married it is vital to talk to a family law solicitor about your rights as an unmarried partner so your interests can be protected. For expert family law advice call our team for an appointment or complete our online enquiry form. 

Do you need help with your divorce or in sorting out a financial settlement or child residence and contact arrangements for your children? In an ideal world, you would reach an agreement with your ex but that may not be possible if they are being unreasonable. Our family law solicitors offer some tips on how to handle an unreasonable ex in a divorce. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.  Divorce proceedings and unreasonable behaviour  You used to have to say that an ex had behaved unreasonably to help you secure a divorce. That is no longer necessary as the government has introduced no-fault divorce proceedings so all you now need to say is that your marriage has broken down irretrievably without needing to explain why.  Although you no longer need to prove unreasonable behaviour to get a divorce the issue of an ex behaving unreasonably is still highly relevant. [related_posts] Is your ex behaving unreasonably? It is worth asking yourself if your ex is behaving unreasonably as sometimes you can lose perspective. That may be because you have been subject to so much emotional abuse during your relationship that you think that your ex’s behaviour is normal rather than coercive and controlling. Alternatively, you may want to stay in the family home and can't see your ex’s point of view that if you don’t sell the property and split the equity, they won't be able to afford anywhere to live or their argument that it would therefore be reasonable for you to downsize. A family law solicitor can help you look at whether your ex’s behaviour is acceptable or not. If your ex has a reasonable case to put forward then there should be some prospect of your being able to reach a parenting agreement or financial settlement through solicitor negotiation or family mediation. Saying what behaviour is unreasonable or not is always difficult as so much depends on context. A spouse leaving the family home and disappearing without explanation and not sorting out child contact seems unreasonable but may be wholly justified if the spouse is fleeing domestic violence and needs to get themselves and the children to a place of safety and secure an injunction order before they can even consider if contact can be managed safely. Examples of unreasonable behaviour by an ex Our family law solicitors come across many examples of unreasonable behaviour when assisting with divorce, children law or financial settlement negotiations or proceedings, such as: Complete refusal to provide financial disclosure so your only option is to start financial proceedings and get orders for financial disclosure because you can't reach a fair financial settlement unless you know the extent of your ex’s assets and income An ex-partner transferring assets to their parents or siblings to try and keep the assets out of the financial settlement  Refusing to agree to any contact with the children without any good grounds to stop or restrict contact and when the children are keen to see you with your ex knowing that it will take you a while to get a child arrangement order  Refusing to return the acknowledgement form in no-fault divorce proceedings – you can still get divorced but it takes a bit longer After the court has made an order for the sale of the family home refusing to agree to viewings or being unwilling to listen to advice from the estate agent about the sale price. You can still get the family home sold but you may need to apply back to court for another order to implement the sale and to ask the court to order that your ex pays the extra costs associated with that hearing Tips on dealing with an unreasonable ex during your divorce The first advice on dealing with an unreasonable ex is to privately acknowledge to yourself that your ex’s unreasonable behaviour just confirms that separation and divorce are the right options for you.  Our other tips are: Take advice and don’t accept unreasonable behaviour by your ex as ‘just your ex’ and how they behave Get your family law solicitor to write to your ex and explain the consequences of their behaviour. For example, transferring assets to third parties will result in a freezing injunction order application and you asking the court to order that your ex pays the costs of the injunction application and make adverse inferences in the financial settlement proceedings about his actions and financial nondisclosure   Make sure you get the support you need. That could be from family, friends or a counsellor   Take a long-term view on dealing with your ex as their game plan may be to behave so badly that you are deterred from applying for a child arrangement order as you think it will be pointless or to make you think that you may as well accept the financial settlement they are offering as the ex is being so difficult about financial disclosure  Think about your children- if you cannot battle on for yourself then we recommend that you do so for your children as they will be the ones affected by the parenting arrangements or by an unfair financial settlement that means you can't support them in the way you should have been able to do so    At some point, you will either need to reach an agreement or secure a court order but your ex’s unreasonable behaviour should not dictate the agreement or orders made. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. 

Getting divorced with neurodiversity or divorcing a spouse with neurodiversity brings special challenges. With one in seven people in the UK diagnosed as being neurodiverse, neurodiversity is something that our family law solicitors have experience in when helping couples get divorced and when reaching financial settlements and parenting arrangements. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.  Is neurodiversity relevant to your divorce? Nowadays couples in England can get a no-fault divorce. There is no need to blame your husband or wife for the marriage breakdown and certainly no need to list examples of your spouse’s unreasonable behaviour in the divorce application.  Although no-fault divorce proceedings try to take the conflict out of the divorce process, divorce is still a stressful and emotional experience for anyone going through it. Some quickie online divorce websites will minimise that aspect of the divorce by telling you that a no-fault divorce means you don’t need to go to a court hearing to get your final order of divorce. That’s true but it is also equally true that divorce can be a very hurtful experience, whether you are neurodiverse or not. If the reason you are splitting up is down to your neurodiversity, or your partners, it is worth looking at whether couple or individual counselling would help you. Individual counselling can help a neurodiverse person but it can help their partner learn to come to terms with their spouse’s diagnosis and how neurodiversity affects them or how to find coping strategies. If you decide that you want to go ahead with your separation and divorce then a spouse’s neurodiversity may also have an impact on any financial settlement negotiations or parenting arrangements. That’s why it is best to be upfront with your family law solicitor and tell them about the diagnosis of neurodiversity and how it affects family life. Without that information, your family law solicitor may not understand why negotiations are not working or why you are not prepared to agree to a financial settlement or proposed parenting arrangement. How does neurodiversity affect family law negotiations and proceedings? Neurodiversity is a wide-ranging concept covering conditions such as ADHD, being on the autistic spectrum, dyslexia or having OCD.  All these conditions affect people differently.  For example, a parent with OCD may have a cleaning compulsion that was effectively managed whilst the family lived together in order to reduce the impact on the children but the other parent is now concerned about the neurodiverse parent having overnight contact and the child becoming increasingly involved in the parent’s cleaning rituals. The concern of the non-neurodiverse parent may be shared by the neurodiverse parent but their separation has led to a breakdown in communication or a willingness to find a solution that allows both parents to enjoy spending time with their child.   For example, a wife with ADHD may be anxious about going to family mediation as she thinks that she will be overwhelmed by the length of the session and unable to cope. For example, a husband may be embarrassed to mention his severe dyslexia meaning his family law solicitors don’t realise that he is struggling to digest all the paperwork they have sent him to review or why he is so worried about his ability to get another job following a redundancy. Does the family court take neurodiversity into account? If it is relevant, the court will take neurodiversity into account in either child arrangement order applications or in financial settlement court proceedings.  Take the example of a parent with OCD. If their cleaning compulsion extends to cleaning their hands with bleach then there could be a concern about the parent’s ability to care for their child during contact, especially if the parent’s hand cleaning compulsion extends to the child. That doesn’t mean that the court will say that there should be no contact but they will look at ways that the relationship between parent and child can thrive whilst keeping the child safe from any accidental physical or emotional harm. In financial settlement proceedings, a spouse’s ADHD may need to be considered when deciding on the appropriate financial court order to make. For example, the diagnosis of ADHD and how the condition affects the husband or wife may affect their earnings capacity and the need for a spousal maintenance order. The court can consider the impact of ADHD on the one spouse because the court makes financial court orders after assessing several criteria, including the needs of both parties to the marriage, their health and respective earnings capacities. Next steps If you want to find out more about how our family law solicitors can support you through your separation and divorce, we offer a fixed fee initial consultation. In this first meeting, we can discuss the legal and practical aspects of your separation and assess the best way forward for you. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. 

Family arbitration is just one of several ways you can resolve a family law dispute without making a court application to get a family law judge to decide the disputed issue. At Evolve Family Law we are receiving more inquiries about family arbitration. That’s because of a change in court rules that places more emphasis on spouses or separating partners using a non-court dispute resolution option before starting a court application for a financial settlement or child arrangement order. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.  What is family arbitration? The best way to describe family arbitration is that it is like using a private judge as the arbitrator is paid by you to resolve your family law dispute. The funding is normally joint but it does not have to be if one of you does not have the funds to pay. The arbitrator is chosen by your family law solicitors from a list of qualified arbitrators. The choice of arbitrator will depend on their specialism and location. For example, if you have a complex asset base and family business and require an arbitrator who not only is an expert in divorce financial settlements but also understands how companies work. Once your family arbitrator is chosen and agrees to act as arbitrator you will be asked to sign an arbitration agreement so you and your spouse or partner understand the rules of arbitration.  The arbitration then goes ahead with preliminary matters resolved, such as the evidence and reports the arbitrator requires. An arbitration date for the final decision is then arranged and after reading the evidence and hearing from you and your ex-partner the arbitrator will make a binding decision. In a financial claim, the arbitration decision is called an award. In a child-related dispute, the arbitrator’s decision is called a determination. One arbitrator can make both types of decisions if you are not able to reach an agreement on residence or contact or on how your assets are split. [related_posts] Is family arbitration more expensive than making an application to court? Family arbitration can be cheaper than making an application to court even though you are paying an arbitrator and you do not have to pay a family law judge for their time (although you do have to pay court fees if you make an application to the family court). Why is it cheaper if you are paying for the arbitrator? There are 2 reasons: The arbitration process – the family arbitration process can be adapted to your circumstances so it can be more flexible than court applications. This means you may need fewer arbitration hearings than if you made an application to court so you spend less on legal fees  Speed – in the family court system there are significant family court backlogs meaning you have to wait longer for a decision. The delay can cost you if you are waiting for a financial settlement decision on whether the family home should be sold or a pension sharing order made Why you need to consider family arbitration You need to consider family arbitration and the other non-court based dispute resolution options because of a change in the Family Procedure Rules. In April 2024 the rules changed to move the emphasis on just using family mediation to resolve your family law dispute before making an application to the court to consider all potential dispute resolution options. In most family court applications, the new Family Procedure Rules require you to sign a statement of truth to explain what non-court dispute resolution options you have tried before applying to court and to explain why if you have not done so.  Our family law solicitors will advise you if your first option should be court because there are situations where an urgent court application is the only advisable route. For example, if you need a child arrangement order and prohibited steps order as you fear child abduction by your ex-spouse or if you need an injunction to stop your spouse from selling assets to defeat your financial settlement claims.  The new rules allow a family law judge to adjourn your family law application to try non-court dispute resolution even if you do not ask for the adjournment. In NA V LA [2024] EWFC 113, a family judge ordered an adjournment of a financial application for the couple to use non-court dispute resolution. The judge concluded it would be of emotional and financial benefit to the couple as well as to their children to reach an agreement outside of court. The judge stayed the proceedings for dispute resolution to go ahead. Talk to Evolve Family Law about family arbitration Our family law solicitors can help you work out whether family arbitration is a good route for your family to resolve your family law dispute so you can move on with your life. We will discuss your alternative options, such as: Using our One Lawyer Amicable Divorce Service Collaborative law  Family mediation  If you decide that you would like to use family arbitration, we can help you with: The choice of arbitrator Representation during the arbitration process Implementation of the arbitration decision For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. 

As divorce solicitors, we are sometimes told by a husband or wife that there is a property deed of trust that sorts out ownership of the family home. The relevance of a deed of trust in relationship breakdown and divorce can be a bit complicated. Our divorce solicitors can advise you if you are a husband or wife looking for financial settlement advice or if you are a parent who contributed towards the deposit on your child’s family home but the child is now separating or getting divorced. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.  Who owns the family home? A divorce solicitor can check who legally owns the family home by obtaining what are called office copy entries from the land registry. The office copy entries say who is the legal owner of the family home. Ownership could be sole or joint.  When a property is jointly owned the owners could be the husband and wife as joint tenants or tenants in common or they could have agreed to a parent being a co-owner if the parent or parents helped with the deposit. In some cases, joint owners will enter a deed of trust to set out how the property is owned and how the net proceeds of the sale will be split if the family home is sold. In other cases, ownership of the family home is a bit more complicated. The legal owners could be the husband and wife but: A father or mother lent money towards the house deposit or paid for renovations and protected the borrowing with a loan agreement or A father or mother agreed that their child and spouse would be the legal owners of the property but they would have a beneficial interest in the property to reflect their deposit contribution, protected by a deed of trust Are you in an unmarried relationship or married? If a couple has a deed of trust that sets out the legal or beneficial ownership of the family home between them then the status of the deed of trust on relationship breakdown depends on whether they are living together in a cohabiting relationship or married. If you are unmarried If the couple is in an unmarried relationship the deed of trust is very important as the court will decide property ownership using property laws rather than assessing the needs of the husband or wife or considering fairness.  If you are unmarried but have a dependent child you may be able to make a claim for housing under the Children Act 1989 but that type of claim does not give you extra property rights over the family home. If you are married If the couple is married the court will look at a range of factors to decide on an appropriate financial settlement and financial court order.  The court has the power to order the sale or transfer of the family home despite the terms of the deed of trust. The court will make its decision after assessing the factors contained in Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act. These include the needs of any children as well as both parties’ housing and other needs and their ages, health and financial and other contributions.  If you are married, the relevance of your deed of trust will depend on factors such as:  Did you sign the deed of trust before you got married and has a lot changed since then? For example, the arrival of children or a 20-year marriage  Did you sign a prenuptial agreement or a postnuptial agreement? Is the agreement consistent with the deed? Did you both get advice and provide financial disclosure when you entered the prenuptial agreement or postnuptial agreement? If so, the family court will start from the premise that the agreement should be upheld in full if the terms of the agreement are fair Was the home owned by one of you before the relationship started? For example, was it inherited? This may be relevant in a short marriage without children  What are your respective needs and can they be met whilst respecting the contents of the deed of trust? [related_posts] If parents entered a deed of trust If parents or in-laws entered a deed of trust as joint legal or joint beneficial owners of the family home as they contributed toward the deposit they can ask to be joined as parties to a financial court application between a husband and wife. They are called intervenors in the financial settlement application. Parents may not need to intervene in the financial court application between their son or daughter and their spouse if the married couple agrees that the parents are entitled to what is said in the deed of trust. The divorce court can then decide what should happen to the rest of the equity in the family home using the factors in Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act. Representing husbands, wives and intervenors At Evolve Family Law, we can represent you in negotiations and in property or financial court proceedings if you are unmarried or married and if you are a parent who contributed towards their child’s family home and signed a deed of trust. We have substantial experience in divorce, property law and deeds of trust.   In an April 2024 Trustpilot review client Chris wrote: I used Robin Charrot to help in a family member's divorce proceedings and a deed of trust that had been written. He was extremely helpful and gave very good guidance on how my particular problem could be resolved. He got back to all emails very quickly and compared to lawyers in London his fees were very reasonable. The support staff I dealt were very efficient and I would highly recommend the firm. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. 

In the run-up to school holidays, there are grandparents across Northwest England who either have no contact with their grandchildren or the occasional brief meeting. As specialist family law solicitors we understand how distressing it is for them when other grandparents excitedly talk about their family holiday plans or mention the exhaustion of looking after little ones when they are in their 60s or 70s. If you are a grandparent who either isn’t seeing your grandchildren or not seeing them as much as you would like then you can apply to court for a grandparent contact order. For expert advice call our team of specialist children lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.  Does a grandparent need a family law solicitor? If you are not seeing your grandchildren as much as you would like then it sounds as if you do need help from a family law solicitor.  A family lawyer will not rush you off to court without a backward glance. At Evolve Family Law we will carefully consider: How much contact time you are getting with your grandchild Whether you are likely to improve on that amount through a solicitor-based negotiation or family mediation or applying to the family court for a child arrangement order  The impact of raising contact on family dynamics  The reasons for a parent's objections to grandparent contact or the reason for the opposition to increasing the amount of time you spend with your grandchildren  What your grandchildren want assuming they are old enough to have a say After looking at the advantages and disadvantages of non-court-based dispute resolution or making an application to the court to get an order you will be in a lot better position to decide on the right approach for you.  [related_posts] Cut off from your grandchildren If you have been cut off from your grandchildren you may not feel that you have a lot to lose by making a court application. That may be true but the Family Procedure Rules now require you to try to sort things out between yourselves before you ask the court to make an order in your favour.  That may feel like a waste of time if your child, son-in-law or daughter-in-law is entrenched in their views and won't listen to common sense or pleas from you. If you apply to the court before trying family mediation or before asking your family law solicitor to negotiate then the family court judge can adjourn your application for mediation or for discussions to take place. That’s why it is best to speak to a children lawyer to discuss non-court-based options as they can suggest a way forward that suits your situation. For example, family arbitration may be your preferred option once you have enough information about all the alternatives. Applying for a grandparent contact order A family law solicitor will tell you that there is no such thing as a grandparent contact order in English law. When parents and extended family cannot agree on who a child should live with and parental and extended family contact then parents and extended family can apply to the family court for a child arrangement order. A parent has a legal right to apply for a child arrangement order. A grandparent must first apply for permission to apply for a child arrangement order. That step is not as difficult as it sounds and should not deter you from making a court application. When deciding on a leave application by a grandparent the court will look at:        The connection to the child  The nature of the application for contact Whether the application might harm the child’s well-being Once you have permission to apply for your child arrangement order the court process is the same as a parent applying to the court for a child arrangement order. The court will assess if a child arrangement order and contact is in your grandchild’s best interests after considering a range of factors. Will I get a grandparent contact order? A family law solicitor will need to know the reasons why your child or son-in-law or daughter-in-law is refusing you contact with your grandchild. Generally, the family court thinks it is in a child’s best interests to have contact with their extended family, including maternal and paternal grandparents.  The parent of a child may no longer be in contact with their child after their separation or divorce. Maybe they are living a long distance away or working overseas or the parent with care may not have wanted contact because they have remarried. None of these are reasons to stop a grandparent from having a relationship with their grandchild. Alternatively, a parent may say that it would be emotionally abusive for a grandparent to see a grandchild because of the extent of a family rift and because the child would be exposed to the grandparent’s negative views about the parents during contact. Family dynamics can be very complicated but they can be successfully explored to help you obtain an order to enable you to see your grandchild even if you are not fully able to rebuild the relationship between your child or son or daughter-in-law. The family law solicitors at Evolve Family Law can help you resume contact with your grandchild or extend the amount of time you can see them. Our lawyers provide specialist and sensitive advice as we understand that your priority is to spend time with your grandchildren so our focus is on that rather than criticising the child’s parents or others for past wrongs. For expert advice call our team of specialist children lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. 

Most people realise that there are often no winners in a family law dispute. That is why it is so important to try to reach an agreement when you separate or divorce. In this blog, our family law solicitors outline the changes to the Family Procedure Rules (FPR) and explain how the rule change may affect whether you make an application to the court to resolve your family law dispute or choose a non-court based option to help you reach an agreement. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. The Family Procedure Rules  The Family Procedure Rules (FPR) set out the rules relating to making a family law court application. They must be followed by family law solicitors and barristers as well as litigants in person, professional experts, CAFCASS officers and the family law judge. On 29 April 2024, the FPR was changed. The reason for the change was to encourage non-court dispute resolution to reach a family law agreement over your financial settlement or child custody or contact dispute. The FPRs already required the applicant and respondent to most family law court applications to try family mediation before they went to court and asked the judge to resolve their family law dispute. There were a limited number of exceptions when you did not need to try family mediation before you made a family law court application. Those exceptions have been narrowed and reduced. The other major change to the rules is an emphasis on other non-court dispute resolution options, rather than just requiring most couples to try family mediation. Non-court dispute resolution options Whilst most people have heard about family mediation there are several other non-court dispute resolution options. They include: Family arbitration Collaborative law Private judge or financial dispute resolution hearing One lawyer divorce service A family law solicitor will go through each of these options with you to work out which one would suit you best and help you reach an agreement. Once an agreement is reached your lawyers can help you convert it into a binding court order from a family law judge. It is worth discussing your options with a family law solicitor as you may have ruled out family mediation or an alternative option. A family law solicitor can arrange family law mediation sessions where you are not in the same room as your ex-partner if there are concerns about this. Alternatively, if you do not want to negotiate in family mediation you may find that solicitor-involved family mediation works for you. If that does not suit you then using a one lawyer divorce service or a private judge may be your best option. Some might rule out using a private judge as being too expensive but it can be a cheaper and quicker option than court. Our family law solicitors will highlight the advantages and the disadvantages of the various non-court options so you can make an informed decision. [related_posts]  The Family Procedure Rule changes on non-court options   Couples in family law disputes now need to set out their views on the use of non-court dispute resolution options with a signed statement of truth. The statement is intended to highlight the importance of considering the non-court options. There may be implications if you decide not to engage in any non-court dispute resolution and you do so without good reason. For example: A judge could adjourn your family law application for non-court dispute resolution to be tried A judge could order that you pay some of your ex-spouse’s legal costs associated with the financial settlement court hearing because you refused to engage in any non-court based dispute resolution and the judge thinks money was wasted by taking it to court or a final hearing There are several reasons why applying to court and not using any non-court dispute resolution first is a sensible approach. For example: You need an injunction order to protect you from domestic abuse You fear your ex-partner is going to take your children overseas without your agreement Your spouse is transferring assets or money to other people and if you wait to bring a financial court application the money may have disappeared and your financial settlement claim will have been defeated by your spouse’s underhand behaviour Your ex-spouse is refusing to give you any financial disclosure so you cannot reach a fair financial settlement using any non-court resolution option as you do not know the extent of their assets Our family law solicitors can discuss the reasons why you think a court application should be started rather than look at a dispute resolution option so we can help you work out the best solution for you. The Evolve Family Law one lawyer divorce service Our one lawyer divorce service may be suitable for you and your ex-partner and this is one of the options we can explore with you. With this service, one divorce lawyer advises you and your former partner and prepares all necessary legal documents on behalf of you both in your divorce and financial settlement. The benefits of one lawyer divorce are that it can save time and money but it is not the right format for every couple. For example, if there is a power imbalance and you would prefer to have your own lawyer then collaborative law or arbitration might be a better fit for one of you. Next steps We offer a fixed fee initial consultation in which we can discuss all legal and practical aspects of your separation and assess the best non-court dispute resolution option is the best route for you to take. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.