Divorce news

Divorce, inevitably, is a time of change. Yet, when it comes to the financial aspects of divorce, the courts try to retain stability: indeed, until it was superseded in 1984, the Matrimonial Causes Act instructed the court to “place the parties…in the financial position in which they had been if the marriage had not broken down”. While this clause has now become defunct, the general principle remains. Known for their wide discretion and generosity toward... Read More

Despite the closeness of Scotland and England geographically, the two countries adopt very different approaches when it comes to the issue of financial maintenance on divorce. In England, lifetime maintenance is not unusual whereas in Scotland a “clean break” is strongly encouraged and so maintenance awards exceeding three years are quite rare. An English court is therefore likely to be far more generous than their Scottish counterpart when it comes to the question of... Read More

Lockdown has forced everyone to change the way they live their lives and divorcing couples are no exception. With many countries around the world reporting a rise in divorce petitions once lockdown measures are eased, divorcing couples have had to change tactics and approaches. Cooped up with their partner and without the usual opportunities for solitude, individuals have had to resort to a creative use of technology to able to communicate securely. Speaking to The... Read More

With lockdown restrictions becoming increasingly effective in tackling the spread of COVID-19, attention has turned to re-opening parts of the economy which had previously been frozen. In early May, it was announced that the property market would be one of the first market segments to re-open, provided that strict social distancing guidelines were still followed. Immediately following this announcement, Emma Gill, head of Vardags’ Manchester office and director of... Read More

Will the re-opening of the property market affect divorce rates? Emma Gill, Director of Divorce and Family Law and head of our Manchester office, offered her opinion on BBC Radio 4's World at One. You can listen to the segment from 26:15.   Read More

The Justice Secretary, David Gauke, confirmed last week that no-fault divorce was to be introduced into law. The reforms, set to be introduced in the next session of Parliament, are expected to allow couples to submit joint petitions stating that their marriage has irretrievably broken down, removing the need for one partner to prove that the other has behaved unreasonably to secure permission from a judge to divorce. The announcement followed successful lobbying from Ayesha... Read More

The British press and the courts have long had a tumultuous relationship. Between accusations of press sensationalism, courtroom cover ups, lawsuits, gagging orders and injunctions, the two institutions have often found the other at cross-purposes. It is a given that press freedom is a prerequisite for open justice, but concern about journalistic practice has risen in recent years and the shadow of the phone-hacking scandal looms large. One of the biggest modern... Read More

Often before people pick up the phone and call a divorce lawyer they will have ruminated over it for months or even years. Everyone’s journey to that point is different. Some clients will consult a lawyer and then wait a period before filing for divorce, others will mend their marriage before they ever do. But typically that call is the first step in the divorce process. Once you have made that difficult decision what immediately follows is largely procedural. The lawyer you instruct will... Read More

On Monday, September 26 2016 at 7:02 p.m. EST, Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts announced they were getting divorced. Just two hours later the first presidential debate was aired. News of the divorce trickled slowly out with the distracted media too engrossed in Trump and Clinton crossing horns to pay the couple any mind. It was no accident. Gwen Stefani announced her separation from Gavin Rossdale on a Monday in August 2015 giving the media all working week to build steam. Her career swung back... Read More