Marriage
What is spousal maintenance and when does…
Harrison Drury’s divorce and family law team, considers spousal maintenance on divorce. What is spousal maintenance? Spousal maintenance is a regular payment provided by one party to the other upon…
Couple win the right to civil partnership
A heterosexual couple have won a landmark legal battle for the right to enter a civil partnership instead of getting married. Rebecca Patience, family lawyer at Harrison Drury, looks at…
What is the ‘common law marriage’ myth?
It’s been revealed that two thirds of cohabiting couples don’t know how their protection differs from married couples or civil partners. Rebecca Patience explores the myth that is common law…
Why is divorce on the decline?
Figures released by the office for national statistics show a decline in the number of people getting divorced. Rebecca Patience, from Harrison Drury’s family team, explores these figures. Earlier this…
I’m in a heterosexual relationship: can we…
Question: My partner and I have been together for three years and have a child together. While we want to cement our relationship legally, we don’t want to get married. Can…
Are pre-nuptial agreements legally binding?
Q. My fiancée and I are due to get married and we have discussed entering into a pre-nuptial agreement. We have both been married before and have grown up children,…
Are civil partnerships an option for all?
According to a recent government consultation, of the three million unmarried cohabiting couples living in the UK, 20 per cent of those in heterosexual relationships would prefer to form a…
Four things to consider if you’re a…
Under current laws, cohabiting couples have only limited rights in comparison to those who are married or in a civil partnership. When a cohabiting couple separates they must divide jointly owned property, but assets held…
Are pre-nuptial agreements only for celebrities?
Pre-nuptial agreements are often used as a way of ensuring that a person’s properties or savings, which were acquired before a new marriage, are preserved should the marriage go wrong.…
Can my husband sell our former matrimonial…
Q. My husband and I have been married for 23 years and have two grown up children together. We separated in 2014 and my husband has now moved to Bahrain…
The Cohabitation Rights Bill – what does…
As family lawyers we are often asked about the rights and entitlements of separating couples who are cohabiting and unmarried. Many unmarried couples who live together assume that after a…
Family law changes mean civil partnerships can…
While same sex couples have been able to marry since March 2014, recent changes in family law mean that couples already in a civil partnership are now able to convert…
Would a pre-nuptial agreement protect my assets…
Before getting married you may wish to think about protecting your assets, should your marriage come to an end. Signing a pre-nuptial agreement may be a good way to do…
The myth of the common law spouse
Many clients who seek our advice following a separation believe that living together has a legal status, in much the same way as marriage. It often comes as a shock…
I’m a female business owner due to…
While pre-nuptial agreements are not automatically binding under English law, several recent divorce cases have made it clear that the courts are increasingly taking account of pre-nups in their decision…
