The current law governing children proceedings is the Children Act 1989, which came into force in 1991. It has previously been described by Lord Mackay as “the most comprehensive and far-reaching form of child law.”
They key principles set out in the act are:
That the welfare of the child is to be the paramount consideration
That wherever... Read More
The Cohabitation Rights Bill, the Private Members Bill backed by Lord Marks, has been in the works for some time now, provoking strong reactions from both the aye and the naysayers. It is back on the radar now because on 12 December 2014 the Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords. It successfully passed through to the committee stage... Read More
If parents leave you out of their will it can be very distressing. If they tell you that is their intention before they die, that can be even more upsetting. However in England and Wales there is no right for children to challenge the will until the parent dies. In a recent article in the Sunday Times there were several cases of disinherited... Read More
In May this year, France became the fourteenth country worldwide to legalise same-sex marriage. The first French gay wedding took place on 29 May 2013 in the city of Montpellier; in October it was further reported that the first same-sex divorce had been filed in France. The issue of gay marriage divided the French nation and the controversy... Read More
Of all the mistakes that could befall a person, having your baby accidentally swapped with another has to be one of the worst. But that is exactly what happened with two South African children – a girl and a boy – born on the same day in 2010 in a Johannesburg hospital. The truth was only discovered when one of the mothers... Read More