LGBTQ+

LGBTQIA+ Separation and Divorce   

LGBTQIA+ Separation and Divorce   

The decision to separate and start divorce proceedings or end a civil partnership is a difficult one for any couple. If you are an LGBTQIA+ couple there are particular challenges when separating or getting divorced. For expert advice call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form. Choosing the right family lawyer Your family lawyer needs empathy and to understand the challenges you have faced as an LGBTQIA+ couple and during your separation as well as your concerns and fears. Being a red-hot family lawyer is a necessity and having a good sense of humour and ‘getting you’ and what you are going through is a real advantage. At Evolve Family Law we encourage all our potential clients to give us a call to see how we can help you. We are all specialists in family and private client law and pride ourselves on our friendly approach to advising on LGBTQIA+ separation and divorce. LGBTQIA+ separation If you are separating from your partner finding somewhere else to live may be a challenge for you. It may not be possible or comfortable for you to camp out with mum or dad and all your friends may be mutual ones, loath to take sides. Finding somewhere to rent may be tough on a single salary, especially in an area where you feel safe. You may want to stay at the family home but are unsure if you can take the mortgage over in your name. Alternatively, your ex may have kicked you out and won't let you return to live at the property. You may be wary about anyone believing that you have been subject to domestic abuse if it was psychological, financial or involved coercive control. Our family lawyers can advise you about your rights to stay in the family home, interim spousal maintenance (if you are married or in a civil partnership), and injunction remedies if you were subjected to domestic abuse in your relationship. LGBTQIA+ divorce    With the introduction of no-fault divorce ending a civil partnership or getting divorced has got that bit easier as you no longer have to have been separated for at least 2 years and nor do you have to come up with ways in which your spouse has behaved unreasonably before you can start divorce proceedings. Our divorce solicitors can either start the divorce proceedings for you as the sole divorce applicant or, if it is an amicable separation, we can act for both of you and file a joint divorce application. LGBTQIA+ parenting    Whilst children are the priority in every relationship, it is often the case that if you are an LGBTQIA+ couple you may have had a hard journey to parenthood with IVF, surrogacy or adoption struggles. The preciousness of your children can make it hard to accept that parenting after separation should be shared, especially if one of you is the biological parent or the one who pushed to have children. If only one of you is biologically related to your child, then this is a sensitive issue but our family lawyers can help you understand who has parental responsibility for your child. If your child was born while you were in a civil partnership or marriage you will both have parental responsibility. In other scenarios, you may both have parental responsibility through a surrogacy parental order, adoption order, or parental responsibility order. Our family solicitors can advise if you both have parental responsibility and the implications if one of you doesn’t have parental responsibility. It does not mean you have no redress as you can apply to the family court for permission to apply for a child arrangement order so you can secure a contact order or an order that the child lives with you. You may also have the complexity of children from previous relationships. Your ex-partner may want to maintain an ongoing relationship with their stepchildren whilst you think that the child is busy enough splitting their time between you and their other biological parent. Again, there are legal solutions if you are not able to reach a parenting agreement. At Evolve Family Law we specialise in children law and can advise on parenting plans to help you reach an agreement on residence and contact. If you cannot reach an agreement with your ex-partner, we can help you apply for or respond to a child arrangement order application. LGBTQIA+ financial settlements after separation.     Whatever the nature of your relationship you both need a fair financial settlement after you split up. If you are married or in a civil partnership you have more family law rights than if you are in an unmarried relationship. For example, if you are in a cohabiting relationship, you have no right to spousal maintenance or a pension sharing order, and your claims on the family home or family business are limited to property law rights or business law rights. However, if you are a cohabitee or former cohabitee you may still have a property claim on the family home even if it is owned in the sole name of your former partner. If you are married or in a civil partnership the law on how assets are divided is based on need rather than the strict application of property or corporate law. The legal position and your options may be different again if you are caring for a dependent child. Our financial settlement solicitors can talk through your situation and what you want and need to achieve from your financial settlement. We can then negotiate hard to get you a fair financial settlement or, where necessary, apply to the family court to get you a court order that reflects your rights as a husband, wife, civil partner or former cohabitee. [related_posts] LGBTQIA+ Wills and private client advice LGBTQIA+ couples who are not married don’t always realise the importance of Wills whilst they are in a relationship. It is equally important, if you are married, in a civil partnership or former cohabitees, that you review your Will and Lasting Power of Attorney when you are separating from your partner. For expert advice on LGBTQIA+ separation and divorce call our team of specialist divorce lawyers or complete our online enquiry form.
Robin Charrot
Mar 15, 2024   ·   6 minute read
Lgbt, divorce and girl child watching gay parents argue in kitchen with stress, worry or fear in their home. Family, crisis and homosexual men dispute foster kid custody, affair or conflict in house

What is a Cohabitation Dispute?

Family law disputes come in all shapes and sizes. It may be a dispute between a divorcing couple trying to reach a financial settlement or grandparents seeking a child arrangement order so they can get to see their grandchild or a parent terrified that their ex-partner intends to leave the UK with their son or daughter. Increasingly, family law disputes involve cohabiting couples. The couple may be heterosexual or LGBTQI+ and they may or may not have children with disagreements bubbling away over what parenting arrangements are in the child’s best interests. As a specialist firm of Northwest family law solicitors, we can advise you on how best to resolve a cohabitation dispute and help you understand your legal rights and options. For expert family law advice call our team or complete our online enquiry form. What is a cohabitation dispute? To a family lawyer, a cohabitation dispute can be many things as it encompasses any falling out between a couple who are not married and who are not in a civil partnership. A cohabitation dispute can be limited to the arrangements for the children or relate to money and property or both. Cohabitation disputes over children law issues can involve: Disputes over the parent the children will live with after the separation Contact arrangements Applications for child arrangement orders to sort out residence and contact Disputes over whether both parents have parental responsibility for their children Disputes over the exercise of parental responsibility, such as choice of school International family issues, such as one parent wanting to move overseas with the children and the other parent objecting Child support payments Top-up child support through a court order (where the parent paying child support is a high earner) School fee orders to pay for private school fees Requests for lump sum orders to meet the needs of dependent children Requests for housing for children whilst the children are still at school or university Non-children cohabitation disputes normally centre on property, such as ownership of property. This could be the family home or a buy-to-let property portfolio or a family business. [related_posts] How do you resolve a cohabitation dispute? The first step in resolving a cohabitation dispute is to check and see if a cohabitation agreement was signed. If an agreement was prepared, it may set out the parties’ rights to property and what should happen if there is a dispute. For example, the agreement may say that one partner will keep the property and the other must leave the property if the relationship ends. A cohabitation agreement can save you a lot of time and money as it records your agreement. If you did not sign a cohabitation agreement then you may still be able to resolve and agree on the financial and practical issues relating to your separation. You may be able to do this by: Solicitor negotiations Roundtable meetings Collaborative law Arbitration The Evolve Family Law One Lawyer service How does a court resolve a cohabitation dispute? If you cannot reach an agreement you may need to start or respond to court proceedings. Unlike a divorce, a court decides a money or property related cohabitation dispute based on property and trust law. Therefore, the court has less discretion to do what is ‘right’. In divorce financial settlement proceedings the court looks at fairness rather than strict legal and property rights. Talk to a family solicitor about your cohabitation rights If you are in a cohabiting relationship, it’s important to speak to a family law solicitor so you understand your rights. Many people assume that the rights of a cohabitee are the same as a husband or wife or civil partner. They are not. A cohabitee has the same rights as a married person if they are subject to domestic violence in a family relationship and a cohabitee has similar rights if there is a children law dispute over the arrangements for the children. Property law rights between cohabiting and married couples are very different. A cohabitee can't claim spousal maintenance or a share of their partner’s pension. Nor can they claim a share in property or other assets unless they have a legal or beneficial interest in it or they can make a claim based on the needs of a dependent child for housing. This is a complicated area of law. For example, your partner may legally own the family home but the other partner may have a financial claim through property or trust law. That claim gives them a beneficial interest in the property. The court could order the sale or transfer of the property to the non-legal owner. That’s why it’s important to understand your legal rights as a cohabitee. Unfortunately, many people assume they are entitled to nothing as they weren’t married or their name wasn’t on the title deeds to the family home. Whatever your circumstances it is best to speak to a family law solicitor if you are leaving a cohabiting relationship and you want to understand your rights and options. For expert family law advice call our team for an appointment or complete our online enquiry form.
Robin Charrot
Oct 19, 2023   ·   5 minute read