The announcement that the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn are to divorce has thrown the media spotlight on to pre-nuptial agreements. It was widely reported that the separation is amicable with the couple agreeing to share custody of their two children. The apparent goodwill in their approach led to widespread speculation that
A group of MPs have called for root and branch reforms of the inheritance tax system, including a cut in the standard rate from 40% to 10%. They also want to scrap most of the current tax reliefs, including the seven-year rule that allows you to pass on wealth without any tax implications. Instead, the
The government has published its new bill designed to reform divorce law and “remove the need for separating couples to blame one another for the breakdown of their marriage”. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill represents the biggest shake-up of divorce laws in half a century and aims to reduce the impact that allegations of
Thousands of Muslim couples are thought to be taking part in Islamic wedding ceremonies each year in the UK without realising that their marriage may not be officially recognised under the law. This can have serious consequences if they later wish to divorce because they may find the courts refuse to accept they were ever
A judge had been wrong to order that a wife should pay rent to her former husband after she continued living in the marital home following their divorce. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving banker Kerim Derhalli and Jayne Richardson Derhalli. Mr Derhalli sued his ex-wife for £500,000, claiming
Cards and flowers are lovely but for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day, couples should get the law on their side. Ok, so the finer points of legal documents don’t rank high on the Romance Richter scale, but they can still play a surprisingly positive role in creating better relationships for couples who choose to cohabit
A judge had made a mistake when he failed to hear oral evidence from both sides in a grandfather’s application for a child arrangements order. That was the decision of the Family Court in a case involving an 11-year-old girl. The girl had been cared for by her grandfather from being a baby until 9
The Marriage Foundation says that the divorce rate for couples who married after 2017 is set to fall by 22% over the next 15 years. The foundation conducted a wide-ranging survey across Europe. It found that divorce rates are falling in several countries, with the UK leading the way. UK couples marrying in 1992 had
The government is to revive its no-fault divorce bill that was shelved in November because of the proroguing of the last parliament and the General Election. Now that the Conservative government has been returned, a new bill is to be introduced in the coming year. There was no mention of it in the Queen’s Speech,
Mixed-sex couples can now enter into civil partnerships if they wish as an alternative to marriage. The new right came into effect on December 31 last year under the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019. Completing the legislation was one of the last actions of the government before the December election. Civil