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Rachel Cook examines delays in adoption and best practice ‘There is delay in entering care proceedings, which jeopardises a good outcome for children, and for these children their life experiences will result in some significant behavioural challenges for potential adopters.’In April 2012, OFSTED published its report entitled ‘Right on Time’. Exploring delays in adoption. On …
Continue reading "Adoption: Time is of the essence"
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Rupert Cowper-Coles outlines the circumstances in which media law may be relevant in family proceedings ‘Family law is inherently a practice area loaded with both highly sensitive information and highly charged emotions, while media law essentially governs the communication of such information.’ It is common for Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights …
Continue reading "Media Law: Sticks and stones"
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Peter Burgess and Kay Drage discuss the implications of the Court of Appeal decision in Lawrence v Gallagher ‘Thorpe LJ confirmed that the language in Schedule 4 of the CPA 2004 (which is identical to the language of s25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (MCA 1973)) has the same effect in law, and that …
Continue reading "Civil Partnership: Same difference"
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Claire Glaister highlights the court’s approach to costs in GS v L and issues of conduct ‘Since the change in rules, the courts have been reluctant to depart from the general rule, and many family lawyers and their clients alike feel that this has caused injustice.’ The Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules 2006 came into force …
Continue reading "Costs: Costly behaviour"
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Lucy Marks and Vitaliy Eremin compare and contrast the matrimonial regimes in Russia and England and Wales ‘If a Russian citizen marries outside the Russian Federation in accordance with local laws, the marriage will be recognised as valid in Russia and therefore Russia will have jurisdiction to deal with the divorce, notwithstanding where the parties …
Continue reading "International Focus: Competing interests"
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Mark Pawlowski considers some potentially far-reaching implications arising from recent case law on ownership of the family home ‘In the case of a purchase in joint names, the presumption of joint ownership in law and equity prevailed in the absence of contrary intention at the time of purchase or following acquisition of the property.’The Supreme …
Continue reading "Beneficial Ownership: Fair shares"
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Richard Adams finds that the welfare of the child remains paramount even in cases involving ‘alternative families’ ‘There has been little consensus in the courts as to how to define and treat the various adults involved in the conception and care of children born to “alternative families”.’ Few will have missed the recent coverage in …
Continue reading "Children: Three’s a crowd?"
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Lauren Hall looks at recent case law regarding the correct approach to be applied upon an article 13b defence of risk of harm ‘The position after Re E was that a child would be returned if protective measures were sufficient to meet the risk of psychological or physical harm.’ One of the possible defences to …
Continue reading "Child Protection: Subjective reasoning"
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Frances Bailey examines criteria for a wasted costs order and best practice when adding a third party ‘The power to make a wasted costs order is a discretionary one and the court exercises that discretion both at the hearing, to show cause as to why a wasted costs order should not be made, and at …
Continue reading "Wasted Costs: Proceed with caution"
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Caroline Watson suggests potential solutions where delaying a pension sharing order is desirable ‘Parties will need to balance the benefit of preserving a pension income, and/or ongoing maintenance, against the reduction in their pension incomes upon implementation’ Where a couple want to delay implementation of their pension sharing order, the first question is why? Delaying …
Continue reading "Pensions: Delayed interest"
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