The fee for issuing divorce proceedings is set to increase to £550 from £410. The same fee applies to applications for a Decree of Nullity or for a dissolution of a civil partnership. At Watkins Solicitors we offer fixed fee divorce...
The issue of Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM) has been frequently discussed in the press and championed by a number of different celebrities. The police and local authorities are concerned about the number of young girls in the UK who are at risk of FGM...
In February 2015 the Judiciary of England and Wales produced a report of Vulnerable Witnesses and Children working Group. The Outcome of that report (although a further report is due in July 15) is summarised below; 1. That the term vulnerable witnesses...
A new report by the TUC and Women’s Aid – Women’s experience of financial abuse and potential implications for Universal Credit, published on 12th March 2015 https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/FinancialAbuse.pdf – highlights...
When dealing with financial matters following a divorce, it is always advisable to have a final Order which sets out the agreement reached. Once a final Order is made in respect of financial matters, it is only in “exceptional circumstances” that...
Research carried out by the Centre on the developing child at Harvard University shows that early experiences influence your child’s brain development, even before your child is born. The period from conception to the first three years of a...
As many as 40% of children lose contact with their grandparents following parental separation. Grandparents often wrongly assume that they have ‘grandparents rights’ and have the legal right to see their grandchildren. This is not the case....
Beverley Watkins, comments, “It is already a criminal offence to assault another person, we already have offences of assault, GBH etc. The real issue is the way domestic violence is treated by the police and the Courts. The police frequently, despite a...
In certain cases parents or the court might decide that there should be a period of supervised contact. It might be appropriate for there to be supervised contact for a number of reason such as the amount of time that has passed since a child has seen the...
He has had no contact with the family since 2004 but the CSA have asked him to pay maintenance. A gay man from Essex who donated his sperm to enable a lesbian couple to have two children, but who was never named on their birth certificate and had no role in...
The recent case of ‘S’ will make depressing reading for many fathers who are striving to have contact with their children. The background to the case is that S, aged 12, had been the subject of court proceedings almost continuously since 1999....
Unmarried couples should prepare for all eventualities says Law Society The Law Society says unmarried couples are at risk if they don’t plan or prepare for all eventualities when co-habiting or combining assets. Following a recent case where a man...