family law

If your second marriage is in trouble you may already know a bit about divorce and financial settlements because of your experience from the first time around. This time you may find that some things are different. Firstly, divorce law has changed. Secondly, your first husband or wife may have been very reasonable and this enabled you to reach a financial agreement. The situation may not be as straightforward with your second marriage divorce. In this blog, our divorce solicitors look at what you need to be aware of when ending a second marriage. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. No-fault divorce proceedings Divorce law in England has changed with the introduction of no-fault divorce and new divorce terminology. Family law solicitors no longer talk about divorce petitions or decree nisi or decree absolute. The new terminology is divorce application, conditional order of divorce and final order of divorce. Whilst you still need to have been married for at least 12 months before you can start divorce proceedings the remaining rules on divorce applications have been changed. You no longer have to say that your husband or wife committed adultery or behaved unreasonably to start divorce proceedings or wait 2 years from the date of your separation to start your divorce petition. Now, all you need to say in your divorce application is that your marriage has irretrievably broken down. You do not need to go into the reasons why. Applying for a joint no-fault divorce Another major change to the divorce process is that you can now apply for a divorce jointly with your husband or wife. You or they still have the option to bring an individual or sole application if one of you prefers to do so. Our divorce solicitors will normally recommend that you start the divorce proceedings either jointly or in your name if you want to get the divorce sorted out in your timeframe. You may be concerned that your estranged husband or wife may delay starting divorce proceedings if they are the ones given the task of starting the divorce application. Getting quick divorce advice is important if you are concerned about your estranged spouse selling the family business, cashing in investments or hiding assets. If you or your spouse are from overseas then you may need urgent advice on court jurisdiction and where it is best to start the divorce proceedings. Whether you decide that a joint or single divorce application is the best option for you the actual divorce process is similar. A divorce application must be filed at a family court and a fee paid. At Evolve Family Law we offer fixed fee divorce services for most divorce applications. The no-fault divorce process The no-fault divorce process involves: Divorce application - either a joint application or an individual application by one of you A wait – court rules say the applicant for the divorce must wait 20 weeks before they can confirm they want a divorce and go ahead with the no-fault divorce process Conditional order - the court makes a conditional order. This is the same as the old decree nisi of divorce Another wait - after waiting another 6 weeks, the applicant can apply for their final order of divorce (this is the new name for the decree absolute of divorce)No-fault divorces take about 6 months to complete from applying for the divorce to getting your final order but the no-fault divorce advantages are that you do not need to go to court to get your divorce order and you do not need to blame your spouse (or vice versa) to get your divorce. [related_posts] Second marriages and financial settlements In second marriages there is a good chance that you signed a prenuptial agreement before your second marriage. Your divorce lawyer will want to know if you signed one and the terms of the agreement. They will also want to know if anything has changed since you signed the prenuptial agreement or a postnuptial agreement. For example, the birth or adoption of children, the failure of a business or either you or your spouse suffering ill health or a disability. These are the sort of things that might lead to a family court saying that the terms of a prenuptial agreement should not be followed or not followed in their entirety. If you signed a prenuptial agreement, it should be possible to secure an agreed financial court order unless there are major changes in circumstances or you or your ex are saying that the terms of the agreement were unfair or there was no financial disclosure. If you did not sign a prenuptial agreement, it may still be relatively straightforward to negotiate a financial settlement by agreement if you are both keen to finalise your divorce and secure a clean break financial court order. Complexities can arise in situations where: You are paying spousal maintenance to your first spouse and your second spouse also wants spousal maintenance – you think there is a limit to how much you can afford to pay out in spousal maintenance Your ex-spouse wants a share of your pension but the pension pot was accumulated before your second marriage and your pension was your financial settlement from your first marriage as your first spouse got to keep your family home Your second spouse wants you to financially support your step children but you are still financially supporting your children from your first marriage Your ex-spouse wants to keep the family home as they bought it before the marriage. If they keep the family home and do not down size, they will not be able to pay you a lump sum as they do not have significant savings and they only have a limited mortgage capacity because of their age. You do not want to be left homeless as your mortgage options are also limited because of your age or because you are committed to supporting your children from your first marriage through their teenage years and through university There may be other reasons why it is hard to negotiate a financial settlement when coming out of a second marriage. Our expert divorce solicitors will be able to help you by talking to you about the circumstances of your second marriage, your assets and commitments, and then looking at the alternate financial settlement options. Filing for divorce using the Evolve Family Law One Lawyer Divorce Service If your separation from your second spouse is relatively amicable our One Lawyer Amicable Divorce Service may be able to help you both file for divorce and obtain an agreed financial consent order. This service is provided by specially trained family lawyers who comply with the guidance from Resolution (an organisation for family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve divorce and family issues in a non-confrontational manner). The service is not the right option for every couple coming out of a second marriage but it can be ideal if you both ‘know the score’ and are both keen to reach a fair financial settlement with the minimum of fuss and no added costs being built up by your each receiving separate and different advice, For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.

As Manchester divorce and family finance solicitors advising separated couples we get a lot of calls from husbands or wives concerned about divorce and selling the family home. In this blog, our family law solicitors look at the issues and your best options when it comes to divorce and selling the family home. For expert family law advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form. Should I sell the family home? Sadly, some divorcing couples don’t have a choice: the family home has to be sold. For others, you can make the financial or personal choice to either sell up, transfer the property to your husband or wife or keep the property yourself. Often people have a strong knee-jerk reaction that they must keep the family home at all costs whilst others are equally adamant that they don’t want to stay in the family home because of the memories associated with it. Undoubtedly selling a family home involves hassle so it is best to consider all your options and the practicalities of a move, such as: How much is the family home worth and how much will I need to spend to buy a new property? If I stay at the family home would the mortgage company agree to transfer the mortgage into my name? If I sell and buy another property what is the maximum mortgage that I could get? Can I afford the monthly mortgage payments and the upkeep on the family home if I get spousal maintenance or child support or if I have to make those payments out of my salary? Is it better to make a fresh start or to downsize so I can have some cash to spend on holidays or little luxuries? Will my husband or wife agree to the sale of the family home? The effect of market conditions on your decision to sell the family home. Experienced family law solicitors encourage separating couples to look at whether they should sell the family home or not from a short and long-term perspective so you make the right decision for you and your family. However, the current housing market conditions may inevitably have some influence on your decision-making process because: You are worried about the time to achieve a sale and getting your sale price You are concerned about getting the mortgage on the family home transferred to you or taking out a mortgage on a new property and mortgage rates You don’t feel that your job is secure or you are worried that your husband or wife could be at risk of being made redundant and redundancy will affect their ability to pay you child support and spousal maintenance With or without the pressures of a cost-of-living crisis the decision to sell the family home, or resolving which one of you should stay at the family home, is always stressful. That is why it is best to take time over your decision and not be too influenced by the views of teenage children who may be leaving home to go to university soon leaving you with a house that is too large for you and without sufficient money to pay for life’s little luxuries or to pay for car repairs. If you end up with the family home the trade-off may be that you don’t get a share of your husband or wife’s pension. That may mean you eventually have to sell the family home to fund your retirement. However, the released equity on the sale of the family home won’t necessarily give you the same income return that a pension sharing order would have done. That’s why it is best to carefully consider if the short-term hassle of selling the family home and moving is in your long-term best interests if it means you get a pension sharing order. [related_posts] The best way to divorce and sell the family home. If you are getting divorced and thinking about selling the family home here are our tips on selling the family home whilst separating from a partner or getting divorced: Is it realistic for you both to live at the family home until it is sold bearing in mind that once the property is sold it will take time for the conveyancing process to reach completion? It is advisable to always take legal advice before leaving the family home as doing so may make your husband or wife less keen to achieve a sale. However, if the atmosphere at home is affecting you, then one option would be for one of you to rent a property or stay with family until the family home is sold Consult with your husband or wife about the sale price and choice of estate agent and make sure that the estate agent keeps you both informed about viewings and feedback from prospective buyers. That way if the estate agent recommends a reduction in the sale price your spouse is more likely to be willing to consider this Get your paperwork in order as requests for documents from your buyer’s solicitor can delay the sale of the family home. If you have had work carried out at the property you need to locate your planning and building regulation documents, electrical, gas and FENSA certificates or organise duplicate paperwork Agree on how you will divide the household contents as the last thing that you are likely to want to do is try and sort out household contents at the date of the sale. It is best to list the household contents and both sign the agreed schedule and the division of contents between the two of you and highlight what items, if any, will be sold with the house Think about whether you want to sell the family home if you haven’t reached a financial settlement with your husband or wife. It is common for a sale of the family home to be achieved before you reach a full financial settlement including how pensions, business assets and investments are split as well as whether spousal maintenance should be paid and for how long. If you are happy with the sale price of the family home and fear that you will risk losing your buyer if you delay you could agree with your husband or wife that the net proceeds of the sale (after discharging the mortgage, conveyancing solicitor and estate agent fees) are kept in a joint account or by a solicitor until an agreement is reached or a financial court order is made. In some situations, you can agree to the release of some extra money to allow you to buy your planned new property or to discharge family debts If your spouse won’t agree to a sale of the family home get a court order. If you are certain that the family home has to be sold as it isn’t financially possible for either of you to take it on because the mortgage company won’t transfer the existing mortgage into one of your names or you won’t be able to afford the mortgage on one salary then speak to Evolve Family Law about starting financial proceedings for an order for sale of the family home. If your husband or wife won’t cooperate with the sale of the property then a family judge has the power to make orders about the sale price, and the choice of estate agent. The judge can even sign the paperwork to sell the property if your ex-partner refuses to sign the contract to sell the house or the deed of transfer How can Evolve Family Law solicitors help? At Evolve Family Law we recognise that deciding to separate and sell the family home is hard. Often, the decision is finely balanced so you need specialist help to look at all your financial settlement options and work out whether the option of selling the family home is the best one for you. We will support you in negotiating a financial settlement with your ex-partner so you can move on with your life. For expert family law advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form.  

At Evolve Family Law our family law specialists are members of Resolution, an organization of family justice professionals in the UK.   This week is Resolution’s Awareness Week.  For expert advice on family law call our team of specialist lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.   Resolution Awareness Week  In recent years, the Resolution dialogue surrounding divorce has shifted from a conventional narrative of separation to a more nuanced exploration of relationships and their legal underpinnings.   Once known as Good Divorce Week, an initiative spearheaded by Resolution, the annual event traditionally aimed to promote amicable separations. However, this year the Resolution Awareness Week marks a significant pivot, redirecting attention toward cohabitation and its intersection with UK family law.  A focus on all relationships   Resolution has long been at the forefront of advocating for constructive approaches to divorce. However, recognizing the evolving landscape of relationships in the UK, the focus has expanded beyond divorce to encompass the dynamics of cohabitation.  The renaming of the awareness raising event from Good Divorce Week to a more encompassing theme signifies a broader perspective that goes beyond divorce itself. This shift acknowledges that relationships come in various forms and that understanding the legal implications of cohabitation or the nuances of LGBTQI+ relationships is just as crucial as navigating the complexities of divorce.  Cohabiting relationships   Cohabitation, while increasingly prevalent, lacks the legal structure and statutory protections that marriage or civil partnership offers. This change in focus by Resolution during what was once Good Divorce Week represents a pivotal moment in acknowledging the need for clarity and legal recognition for individuals in cohabiting and non-traditional relationships.  The Resolution awareness campaign aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding cohabitation and educate individuals about their legal rights and responsibilities.   Central to this initiative is the spotlight on the absence of automatic legal protection for cohabiting couples in the event of separation. Resolution wants to highlight the importance of seeking legal advice and making sure cohabiting couples enter into cohabitation agreements.  [related_posts] The call for cohabitation reform  Resolution's initiative aligns with ongoing discussions within legal circles advocating for reforms that bridge the gap between marriage and cohabitation in terms of legal rights. The goal is to ensure that individuals in cohabiting relationships have access to legal protections and equitable resolutions, akin to those in marital unions. That is becoming increasingly important with the rise in cohabitation. In 2021 there were reportedly 3.6 million cohabiting couples.   By extending its focus beyond divorce, Resolution's initiative reflects a holistic approach to relationships and family law. It serves as a platform to address the evolving nature of partnerships and strives to create a more informed, fair, and supportive legal landscape for all individuals, irrespective of their relationship status.  Evolving family law  In essence, the evolution of Good Divorce Week into a broader exploration of cohabitation within UK family law signifies a progressive step toward acknowledging the diverse forms of relationships. Through education, advocacy, and potential legal reforms, this initiative aims to ensure that individuals in cohabiting relationships are empowered and protected within the legal framework, fostering a culture of understanding and fairness in modern relationships.  How Evolve Family Law can help you   At Evolve Family Law our specialist family lawyers can assist you with all your family law needs if you are in a cohabiting relationship, including:  Cohabitation agreements  Declarations of trust  Children law and parental responsibility advice  Cohabiting relationships and claims on separation    Financial and property claims   Children financial claims for child support, school fees or assistance with housing dependent children    Wills for cohabiting couples  Lasting Powers of Attorney   Estate claims and inheritance disputes advice if you are a cohabitee who was not included in your partner’s Will or need to make a claim because you are not classed as a relative of your loved one under intestacy rules    It is best to talk to one of our solicitors about your cohabitation rights before you find yourself really needing an expert lawyer. For example, understanding property ownership and your rights under a cohabitation agreement could avoid expensive court proceedings if you split up from your cohabitee. For example, understanding that if your partner does not make a Will, you will not inherit anything under intestacy rules may encourage both you and your cohabitee to sign Wills and do some estate planning to protect your family.   We can help you resolve property-related or children focussed cohabitation disputes through:  Solicitor negotiations  Roundtable meetings  Collaborative law  Arbitration  The Evolve Family Law One Lawyer service  For expert advice on family law complete our online enquiry form.  

In this blog, children and child abduction solicitor, Louise Halford, looks at what habitual residence means and why it is important in children law proceedings, and in applications for child arrangement orders and disputes over parental child abduction. For expert child abduction and children law advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. Why is your child’s habitual residence important? For international families the legal concept of habitual residence in children law is important. If your child is classed as habitually resident in England, then the court in England and Wales will have the jurisdiction to decide where your child should live, who they should have contact with and whether they can live overseas. A child’s habitual residence can be complicated because a child can be habitually resident in the UK even though the child is not a British citizen and nor are their parents. If your family is in the UK on a work visa or family visa or dependant visa, your child may be habitually resident in England. If you are planning to leave the UK with your child it is best to speak to a children law solicitor to see if your child may be habitually resident in the UK and to understand the steps you need to take to legally take your child out of the UK. If your child is habitually resident, and you don’t follow the correct steps and procedures before leaving the UK with your child, then you could be committing a child abduction offence. The English court could order that your child is returned to England so the English court can decide on where your child should live. What does habitual residence mean? Put simply, habitual residence means where you normally live. A child can be habitually resident in a country even though the child’s parents don’t live in that country. Habitual residence does not have anything to do with your nationality as you don’t need to be a British citizen or have indefinite leave to remain to be habitually resident in the UK. It is a question of fact. When assessing if a child is habitually resident in England, a child abduction solicitor or children court will look at how integrated the child is. For example, does the child go to school in the UK? Is the child enrolled at sports or other leisure groups in the UK? [related_posts] What happens if my child is habitually resident in England? If your child is habitually resident in England then the English court has jurisdiction to decide where your child should live if there is a dispute with the other parent. Under English law you can't take a child to live overseas without the agreement of the other parent and the consent of anyone else who has parental responsibility for the child. If you can't get written permission you can apply to court for a relocation order. If you leave the UK without a relocation order or written consent then you could be accused of parental child abduction and your child could be made the subject of a return order. The law may seem bizarre to some parents, especially when you are intending to return to a home country or a country where you have strong family or other ties. However, children law solicitors recommend that you get legal advice on the meaning of habitual residence and how the legal concept may affect you and your family and the children law order solutions available to you so you can go ahead with your plans to leave the UK with your child. For expert child abduction and children law advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.