It is a truth universally acknowledged that sadly January is the busiest month of the year for family lawyers and is sometimes described as the January divorce phenomenon. The festive period, which comes with the pressures of spending increased time with loved ones can often prove too much for a relationship to bear and those…
Our team often get asked about the impact of divorce on existing legal arrangements such as Wills. Rachel Macwilliam, Solicitor in our family law team, explores the topic of Wills and Divorce. Should I wait until after my divorce to update my Will? When you’ve made the momentous decision to get divorced, making a new…
In this blog which we published a while back, we discussed the part pensions play in divorce settlements. Rachel Reeves’ announced in her autumn budget that from 6 April 2027, “Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for Inheritance Tax purposes”. This will obviously have…
The most magical time of the year – for children especially – is approaching fast. A time that should be no less magical for the children of divorced or separated parents. Rachel Macwilliam, Family Law specialist at Penderlaw Solicitors, outlines some ways to have a happier Christmas when you are going through divorce or separation…
Amidst the thrill of moving in together and taking that next big step with your partner, it’s crucial to understand the legal implications of cohabitation in the UK. Unlike marriage or civil partnerships, cohabiting couples often find themselves in a legal grey area, with fewer protections and rights than they assumed. This is where a…
Rachel Macwilliam, a Family Law specialist at Penderlaw Solicitors, discusses the potential pitfalls for unmarried couples buying a property together and has some advice on how to avoid financial disaster should the relationship fail. More and more couples are choosing to live together rather than get married according to government figures. In 2021 just over…
The most well-known stages of divorce, decree nisi and decree absolute have been renamed as part of the new legislation introduced in April 2022. Family Law Solicitor Rachel Macwilliam explains the 6 key stages of no fault divorce. A decree nisi is now called a conditional order of divorce and a decree absolute is now…
In a blow to many couples seeking to get divorced, the government has recently confirmed that the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act, which covers no fault divorce, won’t be introduced in the autumn as originally planned. It has now been delayed until 6 April 2022. The reason given is to allow sufficient time for the…
More and more couples are choosing to live together before getting married or are choosing not to get married at all. More than half of children born in the UK in 2017 were born to unmarried parents. The increase in the divorce rate as a result of the pandemic has been much publicised, but what…
If you are struggling to come to an out of court child care agreement with your former partner, you may be understandably concerned about how the court comes to a decision on child arrangements and how much you will see of your child/children following your separation. This is often a particular worry for fathers who…
