Finance and Divorce Update, February 2017

Home > Articles Sue Brookes, and Rose-Marie Drury, both Senior Associates with Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during January 2017. Sue Brookes, and Rose-Marie Drury, both Senior Associates with Mills & Reeve LLP. As usual, this month’s update is divided into two parts: A. …

DWP reports on progress with Child Support Agency case closure programme

Home > News CSA caseload has reduced from 1.5 million to 1.1 million cases Following the DWP’s launch of the Child Maintenance Service, which replaced the Child Support Agency (CSA), from June 2014 CSA clients are being told that their current CSA case will close. The DWP has published latest figures showing the progress of …

Parental Alienation: Is It Going On In Your Divorce?

WHEN THE OTHER PARENT COMMITS PARENTAL ALIENATION IN ILLINOIS by Nichole M. Waltz When parents come to the decision that living together and raising their children as a couple is not possible, the experience of divorce is usually emotionally stressful, not only for the couple but for the children, as well. But there are divorce cases …

MPs ignore severe child protection warnings from large body of experts, says Together for Children

Home > News Campaign group publishes synopsis of expert advice A new report, from Together for Children, says that a large body of experts has warned Members of Parliament of the grave danger of undoing decades of legal protection for vulnerable children and young people. This advice, the campaign group says, was ignored by the …

Supreme Court judgment gives further recognition to rights of cohabiting partners

The ever-developing law for cohabiting partners took another step forward after a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court allowed an unmarried woman’s appeal to receive a survivor’s pension from her deceased partner’s public sector pension scheme. The appellant, Ms Denies Brewster, resided with her partner Mr William Leonard McMullan at their jointly owned home in …

Domestic Violence and the Impact on Contact Re-examined

Home > Articles Cris McCurley, Partner in Ben Hoare Bell LLP and advisory board member of Rights of Women and Women’s Aid, considers recent developments concerning contact where there has been evidence of domestic violence, and the events which have led to them. Cris McCurley, Partner, Ben Hoare Bell LLP In 2004 Women’s Aid published …

Cohabiting partner wins pension fight in Supreme Court

Home > News Nomination requirement added nothing to evidential hurdle concerning cohabiting relationship The Supreme Court has unanimously allowed an appeal by Denise Brewster and declared that the requirement in the Local Government Pension Scheme (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2009 that the appellant and her late partner, William McMullan, should have made a nomination …

Insurance boss queries blanket increase in small claims limit

The campaign against blanket increases in the small claims limit for all personal injury claims gained an unexpected ally today.  Giving evidence to the House of Commons justice committee, Association of British Insurers director James Dalton said the increase to £5,000 should be implemented only for road traffic accident claims at this stage. The scope …

Pensions on divorce: another witches’ brew

Another Witches’ Brew provides an up-to-date domestic review of the treatment of pensions on divorce in light of the recent ‘pension freedom’ changes, state pension changes and up-to-date case-law. Many of the usual textbooks have yet to catch up with the significant changes which have occurred in the pension context in the last few years. …

France refuses to recognise Dubai divorce ruling that was ‘manifestly discriminatory’

Home > News Afsana Lachaux plans to pursue divorce and custody claims in UK Afsana Lachaux, who in 2014 lost custody of her son to her French ex-husband following a Sharia hearing in Dubai, has succeeded in an appeal before the Paris Court of Appeal against the judgment of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de …