Short Marriage: The lottery of needs

Moji Sobowale looks at the approach to short marriage cases, in particular as to needs in the context of standard of living ‘The fact that a marriage has been short will unavoidably affect the quantum of the financial fruits that the partnership has been able to produce.’ Although marriage is a contract, it is not …
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Litigants In Person: Equality in arms

Vanessa McMurtrie looks at the challenges of dealing with unrepresented parties and offers guidance on the tricky area of court bundles ‘Realising the litigant in person is not necessarily at the same junction as your client will help in dealing with them as courteously as possible.’ The right to a fair trial is fundamental to …
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Expert Evidence: Following the rules

Fiona Wood looks at the need to comply with the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and best practice when instructing experts in financial cases ‘It is not always possible to agree the joint letter of instruction to a single joint expert and the court may be asked to settle the letter of instruction.’It is often necessary …
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In Practice: Held to account

Deborah Levy examines the decision in J v J and looks at solutions to excessive costs in family cases ‘In theory, it is not unreasonable to believe that fixed pricing for each stage of the proceedings could well provide a solution, but one may be faced with a client who has unrealistic expectations.’In October 1999 …
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