Kris Seed: Divorce and Cohabitee specialist
From a legal point of view living together is very different from being married.
When a legal marriage ends, the court is able to make decisions to ensure that there are fair arrangements for assets/savings/pensions/properties and for income (including the payment of maintenance).
There is a lot about divorce on this website.
The legal position of those who live together outside of legal marriage is very different. Those who live together outside of marriage (Cohabitants) can still refer to themselves being common-law husbands and wives. This is not a legal status.
When cohabitants separate – the law can be very harsh when deciding what obligations one can have to the other.
This is particularly the case if the couple plan to buy a house together or to have children together or they intend to rely on the future pension prospects of one of the couple from both – or if one wishes to rely in any way on the possibility that the other would provide them with financial assistance in the future including if they separate.
Over the years we have seen individuals getting into all sorts of difficulty by not taking legal advice prior to cohabitation and not taking necessary steps to protect themselves.
It is obviously important not only that a judge is not biased, but that they are not perceived to be possibly biased. If a party considers that the judge dealing with their case is biased against them then they may ask the judge to ‘recuse
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We have written here previously about the emotive subject of parental alienation, where one parent alienates a child against the other parent. As we explained in that post, if the court finds that alienation has taken place then it can orde
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Very often in disputes between parents over arrangements for a child the child will have a useful input, which can be an important factor when considering what the best arrangements should be. But when and how are the child’s wishes taken..
Read moreEveryone looking for a family lawyer wants to choose the best one they can. But if you’ve never instructed one before, how should you go about finding the best lawyer for you? These days there is a great deal of information available about
Read more2019 has been a massive year for Ian Walker Family Law Solicitors. This article brings you up to date with our latest developments. These include highly respected divorce solicitor Bridget Garrood joining our team and our office move
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Are divorce settlements taxable? The tax treatment of divorce settlements is something that concerns many people who are going through divorce. However, as we will see, in most cases there is only really one tax issue that should be of concern. Before we get to that, let us very quickly consider some other tax issues […]
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It has been another big week for family law news. Following the passing through parliament last week of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill (which has now received the Royal Assent), the government has this week announced a major
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In arguably the most important development in family law in this country in the last thirty years, the Government’s Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill, which will bring in a system of no-fault divorce, has passed through both houses
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The President of the Family Division Sir Andrew McFarlane has set out how the Family Court intends to navigate its way through the Covid-19 pandemic. In a document entitled ‘The Road Ahead’ the President explains that only now can we set
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When I founded Ian Walker Family Law and Mediation Solicitors in January 2013, I didn’t have any big ambitions. The idea was that the practice would be myself and a computer; I would use technology as best I could to provide good legal
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We are delighted that family law specialist; Kris Seed has joined our growing team. Kris Seed joins us as a Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive, and she will also be the head of our new Private Law Children Team. Kris will work clos
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A recent case has emphasised the perils of claiming that your spouse’s conduct should have a bearing upon the divorce settlement. It is a commonly held belief that ‘bad conduct’ on the part of your spouse should be ‘punished’ by them
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