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As Bill and Melinda Gates ponder how to divide around $130 billion in assets, we take a look at the five most expensive divorces so far. 1. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott divorce 2019 - $38 billion When the founder of Amazon and wife MacKenzie Scott...
With family courts experiencing a substantial backlog and the government supporting mediation with a new voucher scheme, mediation is likely to become more widely used in the future. It is already the case that when dealing with financial affairs and...
In April this year, the law regarding divorce is set to change to allow couples to divorce without any blame attaching to either party. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill has been given Royal Assent and is set to be implemented in April...
Contact arrangements over Christmas can be a source of tension, particularly for the non-resident parent, who will want to spend some meaningful time with their child during the festive season. Christmas is known for being a stressful time for families,...
Grandparents often play a beneficial role in their grandchildren’s lives. However, if the relationship between a grandparent and their children breaks down, it can mean that they may lose out on seeing their grandchildren. Grandparents do not have...
There is no strict formula for dividing assets in divorce, with the court having a duty to consider all the circumstances of the particular case. The court’s first and paramount consideration will be the welfare of any children of the family under...
Divorce, by its very nature is a highly emotive and difficult time for couples which involves, for many, deciding upon arrangements for their children and how their assets are to be divided. But what should happen to the family pet upon divorce. This has...
Divorce laws in England and Wales are finally set to change after the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill passed its third and final reading in the House of Commons on 17th June 2020. The bill will reform the traditional fault-based system by...
As the UK enters week 5 of a nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, it is crystal clear that this disease has and will continue to affect everyone; not only from a health perspective but also having a profound impact on the viability of...
‘Stay Home Stay Safe’- this tag line is being heavily promoted by the government as they seek to protect the safety of its citizens as well as the functionality of the NHS. There is no doubt that this concept has far reaching implications for...
The world is currently facing an extremely uncertain time as people all over the globe grapple with the ongoing effects of the Coronavirus. It is no secret that this virus has affected everyone, in every way, as they go through the motions of their day to...
It’s never too early to think about child arrangements for the holiday period It is the time spent with family during the holiday season that makes it such a special time of year. However, for some families the time leading up to the holidays can...
Do you know your rights as a step-parent? In the ever changing landscape of society, it is now commonplace for parents of children to separate or divorce, making room for new relationships and sometimes, new roles. The idea of step-parents and step-children...
Divorce rates in the UK hit a 45-year low in 2018. This massive reduction was not due to the prevailing health of relationships but rather, can be attributed to the decrease in couples actually choosing to get married. As the number of applications has...
Some mothers are preparing to get pampered this Mother’s Day whilst for others the occasion only provides a reminder that they may not see their children on this special occasion. In contrast, parents may find that the occasion brings to the forefront...
The UK government intend to implement a number of changes within the Divorce system. These include making amendment to the archaic fault based divorce system as well as using technological advances to improve the efficiency of the system and ultimately bring...
For some, champagne indulgences and red rose bouquets will be enough, but for the lucky few, Valentines Day provides the ultimate stage for a romantic proposal. If you were lucky enough to get a bit of sparkle this Valentines Day, we...
It has been reported that the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, has separated from and intends to divorce his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos. The Amazon founder and CEO has a net worth of approximately $137 billion causing people to speculate as to...
The first Monday of every new year has been tagged National Divorce Day as law firms all over the country are inundated with divorce enquiries after the pressures of the holiday season take their toll on relationships. The media sometime attribute this rise...
We appreciate that meeting your lawyer is not always easy, and for commuters this can be difficult to fit around the working day. In recognition of the logistical issues that can be posed by our busy lives, BakerLaw are launching a Family Law Clinic from...
Resolution is a body of family lawyers and other professionals who aim to provide a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family matters whilst also campaigning for improvements to the family justice system. In a Resolution led campaign, ‘Good...
The rights of the children of unmarried parents are forever changed after a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court. Facts A mother of four, Siobhan McLaughlin, lost her long-term partner of 23 years in 2014. The couple had never been married but did,...
On the 18 th August 2018 more couples got married in the UK than any other day this year. Some of these couples will have implemented a pre-nuptial agreement before they tied the knot to protect themselves financially in the event the marriage comes to a...
Following our article, ‘ Will Mrs Owens be forced to remain in an unhappy marriage? ’, the Supreme Court handed down its highly anticipated judgment in Owens v Owens where the judiciary reluctantly found that Mrs Owen’s petition...
The recent Supreme Court ruling Mills v Mills found in favour of the husband, Mr Mills. Following a 15-year marriage, Mr and Mrs Mills divorced in 2002. The agreed financial settlement gave Mrs Mills a £230,000 capital sum and monthly payments of...
Are we about to see a change in the law after Supreme Court ruling granted Rebecca Steinfeld (37) and Charles Keidan (41) the right to have a civil partnership? The Civil Partnership Act 2004 was introduced to grant same-sex couples the same legal rights as...
Renewed pressure has been put on the legal system to reform family law and introduce a “no-fault” based divorce system. The Hearing for high profile divorce case Owens v Owens was heard before the Supreme Court on 17 th May 2018. Mr and Mrs...
In its recent annual conference, national Family Law body Resolution again campaigned for the introduction of a no-fault divorce. As it stands, couples can only get divorced if they blame one party for the breakdown of the marriage. The only grounds where...
The recent case of Thompson v Raggett has seen the High Court rule in favour of cohabitant Joan Thompson, awarding her reasonable provision from her late partner’s estate. The facts Ms Thompson, aged 79, had been in a relationship with Wynford...
In a landmark judgement, the Court of Appeal has ruled that divorcee Kim Waggott will only be entitled to three years spousal maintenance from her ex-husband multimillionaire William Waggott, overturning the original judgement that saw Mrs Waggott receiving...
Farnham solicitors, BakerLaw, are to start offering a free legal clinic to provide expert advice relating to divorce, finances, children arrangements and other family law issues. You will receive up to half an hour of free legal advice from BakerLaw’s...
Today, the first working day after the Christmas and New Year holidays, is known as ‘Divorce Day’. Today is the day the press say numerous spouses will be phoning a solicitor to get a divorce, after the holidays have taken their toll. ...
Nikki Lynch, family law solicitor at BakerLaw in Farnham, travelled to Parliament today to take part in a major lobby of Parliament organised by family law organisation Resolution. Resolution represent 6,500 family justice professionals that are committed to...
There are over 3 million cohabiting couples in the UK, double the amount there was 20 years ago and yet many couples do not realise the law offers them no protection. If a couple that are married for 20 years separate, either party has the right to make a...
BakerLaw has the largest Family Department in Farnham, consisting of expert divorce lawyers who can: Deal with multi-million pound litigation and high profile clients Facilitate mediation and support clients through the process to seek mutually agreeable...
There are many reasons why someone might want to change their name, the most common reasons are following a divorce or separation or dislike of a name, but more and more couples are merging or hyphenating their surnames following marriage. There are also the...
BakerLaw is pleased to offer a free family legal advice clinic for army personnel in association with Aldershot Garrison HIVE. The clinic is run on the first Wednesday of every month at the Connaught Community Centre, North Camp from 10am to 12noon. ...
Family mediation is a voluntary process for resolving disputes following relationship breakdown. Mediation can be appropriate for any kind of family unit, whether married or unmarried, civil partners, living together or separated, divorced or not and with...
The majority of marriages that are brought to an end in England and Wales are as the result of divorce proceedings. However, it may be possible to present a nullity Petition. Such a Petition can be presented within the first year of marriage, unlike a...
People may be surprised to learn that the United Kingdom does not have a unified legal system. England and Wales share the English legal system. Scotland has its own legal system. So too does Northern Ireland. So, if you are an expatriate or a foreign...
The CSA works out the amount of child maintenance using the weekly net income of the non-resident parent (that is the parent living in a separate household from the parent with care and qualifying child(ren) for whom they are liable to pay maintenance). The...
Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 provides that the child's welfare shall be the court's paramount consideration when the Court determines any question with regard to either:- The upbringing of a child; or The administration of a child's...
The law regarding judicial separation This is contained in sections 17 and 18 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. A Petition for judicial separation may be presented by either a husband or a wife. It is presented on the ground that any of the facts...
It is unfortunate but true that, contrary to popular misconception, the fact that a couple have lived together for a number of years does not of itself give any financial rights in the event that that relationship subsequently breaks down....
Part 1: Preliminary "Financial Orders" comprise all orders of either a financial or property nature or that relate to pensions that a Court can make following divorce, judicial separation, nullity or dissolution of registered civil partnership...
The "Radmacher" Decision It is now over three years since the Supreme Court of England and Wales ("the Supreme Court") handed down its judgment in the case of Radmacher (formerly Granatino) v Granatino. The hearing of this appeal by the...
This Act, which received Royal Assent on 1 May 2012 and came into force on 1 April 2013, makes substantial changes to Legal Aid. In the context of Family Legal Aid LASPO introduces cuts to this. Family Legal Aid is still allowed for: Mediation in family...
The Ground for Divorce The only ground for divorce in England and Wales is irretrievable breakdown of marriage. In order to prove this to the Court's satisfaction, it is necessary to establish one or more of five sets of facts. In summary, these...
Martin Chambers is a Resolution member and family law solicitor at BakerLaw in Farnham, Surrey. Jake Hughes, who is responsible for the BakerLaw blog, spoke to Martin about his membership of Resolution and how it affects the way in which he deals with...
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 ("the Act") came into force on 5 December 2005 and enables same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship. Couples who form a civil partnership have a new legal status, that of 'civil...
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