Family, Children & Divorce

A mother has been allowed to change her son’s middle name despite an objection from his father. The case involved a boy who at birth was given two forenames by the parents and registered with both. He was most commonly known by his first name but the father used both and said that he favoured

A mother with a troubled background has won the right to oppose adoption proceedings involving her youngest child. The Court of Appeal was told that the mother had depression and problems with alcohol that had led to aggression and chaotic parenting. Her son had been removed to foster care in June 2015. His two older

A father has been unable to enforce a court order for contact with his children because no official body was prepared to provide supervision. The case involved a father and mother who had two children in England. They moved to Estonia in 2008, but in 2013, the mother returned to England with the children. The

Look at any Court Order or written agreements to see if it sets out the arrangements Whilst the agreement of the other parent is not needed if you holiday in the UK, it would be sensible to seek his/her consent in the absence of a Court Order or written agreement. It is illegal to take

A wife has won her appeal against a divorce settlement that gave her husband an equal share of the marital assets. The case involved a couple whose relationship, including cohabiting and marriage, lasted six years. They had no children. At the start of their relationship they both earned around £100,000 a year, but during the

A wife has been told that the assets of a trust she set up with her husband cannot be included in their divorce settlement. The case involved a couple who had established a charitable trust to conserve South China’s tiger population. It held land for conservation purposes. The trust was fully discretionary and held considerable

A judge was not at fault when he exercised his discretion to award a woman a £4.25m divorce settlement based on her “needs”. That was decision of the Court of Appeal in a case involving a couple who had been married for two years but had a relationship stretching over nine years. The husband was

A father has won his appeal against a court order allowing his estranged wife to take their three children to live in Germany. The couple had married in 2010 and separated in 2015. The father was British; the mother was German with extended family in Germany. They had three children aged between one and five

The family lawyers group, Resolution, is calling on the government to introduce a no-fault divorce system as soon as possible. It says the momentum gathering for change should not be delayed because ministers may be preoccupied by major issues like Brexit. The move follows the high-profile case involving Tina Owens and her husband Hugh. Mrs