The Partners of Hunters Solicitors are delighted to announce that Jay Patel has joined the firm as a Partner in the Family Department. With over 20 years’ experience in both international and domestic divorce, Jay has an extensive understanding of high net worth divorce. As such he is used to dealing with cases involving substantial…
Islamic marriage ruling reflects modern family values Partner in the Family department, Hazel Wright, writes that a recognition that Muslim weddings infer financial responsibilities on spouses will bring comfort to many. The attorney-general rarely intervenes in divorce cases, but the High Court hearing last week involving Nasreen Akhter and Mohammed Shabaz Khan was one of…
In the Independent Review into the application of Sharia Law in England and Wales, published in February 2018, it was acknowledged that Sharia Councils cannot celebrate legally binding marriages. This is unlike the position for other faiths, such as Christianity and Judaism, which do not have this “double ceremony” requirement. But those following these faiths…
In a controversial ruling, the Supreme Court has today denied a woman who claims she is in an unhappy marriage a divorce from her husband of 40 years. It means Tini Owens, 68, will have to stay in the marriage, which she has described as loveless, for another two years. Mrs Owens petitioned for a…
In Mills v Mills [2018] UKSC 38, the Supreme Court has allowed a husband’s appeal against an order, secured in the Court of Appeal, which increased the level of his periodical payments so as to cover her shortfall between existing periodical payments and her current needs. Hazel Wright, partner in the family department at Lincoln’s Inn firm…
No one wins from litigation in person The lack of legal aid for private law children and family matters, save for in cases of domestic abuse, is driving more parents to represent themselves in court. The latest Ministry of Justice figures show that nearly 36 per cent of cases included a litigant in person.…
New President of the Family Courts emphasises impact on children’s wellbeing of parents’ relationship after separation and divorce The Family Court judges will have a new leader on 18th July 2018. Sir Andrew McFarlane is to be the new President, ie the leading judge for all family courts. When Sir Andrew was a barrister, his…
Love Island’s ‘gaslighting’: a lawyer’s perspective Emotional abuse is prevalent among islanders this year, which is also a sad reality most couples face often unknowingly, especially in the lead-up to a breakdown, writes Rebecca Christie As a family lawyer I could not be more pleased that Love Island is back. The show reveals so much about modern…
This morning, 27 June 2018, the Supreme Court handed down the judgment in R (on the application of Steinfeld and another) v Secretary of State for the International Development (in substitution for the Home Secretary and the Education Secretary) [2018] UKSC 32. This appeal considered whether the bar on different-sex couples entering into civil partnerships breaches the…
Is Divorce Law About To Change Forever? Can Lawyers Cope? In light of the news that Baroness Hale of Richmond has called for the introduction of no-fault divorce. Below Henry Hood, Head of the Family Law Department at Hunters Solicitors, talks to lawyer Monthly about the potential implications surrounding the issue of no-fault divorce. The ‘Owens…
