Changes to the family justice system announced Today marks a significant step forward in reforming the family justice system, as new legislation has received the Royal seal of approval. Legislation to reform the system has recently been making its way through Parliament as part of the Children and Families Bill. Today this Bill received Royal [...]

Changes to pre-nuptial reforms and financial needs clarity It is hoped that the Law Commission’s recent recommendations regarding changes to pre-nuptial agreements will provide greater clarity for many married couples on separation. The report, Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements, which was released on February 27th, makes two key recommendations. The first is that ‘qualifying nuptial agreements’ [...]

Is it possible to have a good divorce? With more than 30 years of experience in helping families cope with divorce and remarriage, Dr. Constance Ahrons believes it is possible to achieve a ‘good divorce’ and her ‘Ten Golden Rules for a Good Divorce’ are essential reading – SRB’s Family Team agrees with Dr Ahrons. Achieving [...]

Report Into Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements The Law Commission is set to publish its report into Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements on February 27th and, although the findings are yet to be formally announced, a recent newspaper report suggested that the Commission will recommend that prenuptial agreements are to be enshrined in Law under [...]

"...warm and empathetic..." by SRB's seminar The Family Law team at SRB have been delighted with the feedback received following last week's 'Managing Your Life' seminar. One of the e-mails is reproduced below. Thank you to the team at SRB Solicitors  for a very informative and friendly family law seminar last week. The team were [...]

Twickenham Young Person's Poetry Competition results The judges were delighted with the quality of entries to the  SRB sponsored Twickenham Poetry Competition for 4-16 year-olds.  It was really lovely to read all the different perspectives of Twickenham and to discover what the town means to the young residents. The winners' poems are printed below, but [...]

Memories of Richmond Ice Rink To celebrate the arrival of the new ice rink at York House in Twickenham, Stone Rowe Brewer LLP are delighted to have sponsored a special booklet that celebrates the history of skating in our Borough. Copies of the 'Memories of Richmond Ice Rink' are freely available from our reception area [...]

Four Skills to Learn Before Mediation So you’ve met or spoken to your solicitor and the mediator. You’ve told them the issues, talked about your broken relationship, your finances, your hopes and aspirations for the future – it’s clear the only thing standing in the way of you moving on is your disengaged or unreasonable [...]

The Myth of the “Common Law Marriage”. In a recent survey of MPs, undertaken by Resolution (www.resolution.org.uk), 69% of those surveyed agreed that many of their constituents mistakenly believed that there was such a concept as ‘common law marriage’. The Liberal Democrats also recently debated the issue of cohabitation rights at their annual conference. This [...]

How not to behave as a parent: A masterclass If there was ever a clear illustration of how not to behave as a parent, the film adaptation of Henry James’ novel, What Maisie Saw, demonstrates it perfectly. Directed by Scott McGhee and David Sigel, the 2013 release tells the story of a little girl's struggle [...]