Quick answer: A prenuptial agreement (prenup) is a legal document that sets out how a couple’s assets would be divided if their marriage ends. Courts in England and Wales do not treat prenups as automatically binding. Still, judges give a carefully prepared agreement real weight, which makes it a sensible way to help protect property,…
A Guide to the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund Becoming a Special Guardian is a profound commitment that offers a child stability and care when they need it most. While rewarding, this journey can come with unique challenges, especially for children who have experienced trauma or instability. Recognising this, the government established the Adoption…
Ending a marriage is rarely simple, and amidst the emotional turmoil, the practical realities of untangling two lives can feel overwhelming. Perhaps the most daunting of these practicalities is figuring out who gets what. From the family home to pension pots and sentimental items, dividing assets is a complex puzzle that requires patience, clarity, and…
What You Need to Know Divorce is rarely easy. Beyond the emotional upheaval, the practicalities of separating two lives, particularly the finances, can feel overwhelming. You might be worried about keeping the family home, how pensions will be split, or simply how you’ll manage financially on your own. Understanding your rights and the legal process…
Divorce Without a Financial Settlement: Is It Possible? A divorce often brings to mind lengthy disputes over money and assets. The process is typically seen as emotionally and financially complex. However, an increasing number of couples are seeking a more peaceful path, one that avoids a contentious financial battle. This raises an important question: can…
Choosing the Right Family Law Solicitor: Essential Tips for Navigating Legal Challenges Navigating family law matters can be overwhelming, filled with emotional challenges and complex legal jargon. When facing issues like divorce, custody battles, or property disputes, the right family law solicitor can make all the difference. But with so many options available, how do…
A Complete Guide to Child Arrangement Orders in Gloucestershire Separation and divorce bring many challenges, but few are as emotionally complex as determining arrangements for your children. If you’re a parent in Gloucestershire facing these decisions, understanding child arrangement orders is crucial for protecting both your parental rights and your child’s wellbeing. Child arrangement orders…
Understanding Special Guardianship Orders (SGO) play a crucial role in child welfare, offering families a way to navigate the often overwhelming complexities involved when a child’s best interests are at stake. (SGO) represents a crucial pathway to provide children with stability, care, and long-term support when their birth parents are unable to do so. At Tayntons…
Public Law Children Seminar Recap On 9th April, Tayntons Solicitors proudly hosted a Public Law Children Seminar in partnership with DNA Legal and Queens Square Chambers. The event brought legal and child law professionals together to explore critical developments in the area of public law children and to share expert insights that are helping shape…
It can be challenging to navigate new situations after separating from your former partner, especially when children are involved. There are lots of decisions that still need to be made jointly, including obtaining parental consent to travel abroad with your children. Regardless of whether you are planning a holiday or considering travelling in the future,…
Christmas is a common time of year for conversations around residence and contact arrangements for your children to come up. You may be looking to spend more time with your children, defend the time you currently spend with them or navigate making arrangements with your former partner over the Christmas period. In some circumstances, it…
In recent years, the landscape of legal aid in family law within England and Wales has undergone significant changes. For families and single parents seeking help, these adjustments can often feel like navigating a maze. This blog post aims to clarify these changes, explain their impact, and provide practical advice on accessing legal aid under…
If you are going through a divorce involving children, their welfare and safety will be your main priority. But, who gets the house in a divorce with children? In some circumstances, it can be challenging to determine who gets the house in a divorce, especially if both parties are sharing residency (custody) arrangements. There are…
Navigating the complex world of social services, parental rights, and family care can be an emotionally challenging venture. Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 in the UK is one such aspect that families might encounter during difficult times. It provides social services with a unique duty to accommodate and care for children. But what…
When a child is injured due to an alleged non accidental injury, parents can find themselves in the difficult position of having to face social services entering court proceedings. There are many questions that arise when this happens, such as how it works and what you should do if you find yourself in this situation….
What happens when a father does not have the legal rights to contribute to their child’s life and growing up? What impact does this have? In England and Wales, fathers without parental responsibility face some restrictions with activities concerning their children. In this blog post, we will discuss the law on fathers without parental responsibility…
The legal age of marriage has been raised to 18 throughout England and Wales. This new law is designed to protect children from the damaging effects of forced marriage, which is when someone is made to marry against their will. This raise in the minimum age of marriage is a positive step towards protecting vulnerable…
If you and your child’s other parent are no longer living together, you will need to make arrangements for the Christmas period. Working out early on where your child will spend each day avoids last-minute stress and disputes that cannot be settled in time for the festive period. With family courts experiencing a backlog of…
If you and your child’s other parent have differing opinions over the best school for your child, you may need help in resolving the issue. At Tayntons Solicitors, our family law team regularly represent parents to deal with education issues. We know how important your child’s schooling is and we will provide the guidance and…
Buying a property? It’s time to make a Will and an LPA. If you are buying a property, you should make or review your Will and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for the following reasons: Property is one of the biggest assets you will own so it’s important to consider who you want to inherit…
Going through a divorce or separation? It’s time to make a Will and an LPA. If you are getting divorced or separating from your spouse or partner, you should make or review your Will and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for the following reasons: Your previous Will remains valid even after your divorce. However, any…
For many couples, their shared home is their main asset. This means that it can be difficult to divide it when a relationship breaks down, particularly if the other available assets are not worth as much. It can also be stressful to have to consider the possibility of selling your home, particularly at a time…
If you have separated from your children’s other parent, the thought of Christmas can be difficult. Both parents are likely to want to spend some quality time with their children and tensions may arise if you both want to have contact on the same dates. Christopher Price, partner at Gloucester law firm Tayntons, and head…
If you or your spouse has an interest in a business, there will always be arguments as to whether or not this should be taken into account during a divorce and treated as a matrimonial asset. If you have been in a long marriage, then the law aims to divide assets equally. This can be…
For parents, the hardest part of a divorce often relates to issues surrounding their children. There are natural concerns over where they will live, how long they will spend with each parent and how they will adjust to the changes. Agreeing arrangements for children Ideally, you and your children’s other parent will agree on the…
During a divorce, when issues arise over finances, both parties will be required to fully disclose their financial situation to each other. Once full disclosure has been made, you can move on to negotiating a financial settlement. The more efficiently the disclosure stage of the divorce is dealt with, the quicker and more cost-effective the…
Unfortunately, experience within this field continues to demonstrate that there is a common misconception between unmarried couples that they have the same rights financially as married couples. This is often referred to as “common law marriage”. Following the breakdown of a relationship cohabiting couples are not protected by the same law that applies to married…
It can be very distressing after a separation to find out that your ex-partner wishes to move to a different part of the country. There is no legal requirement for them to obtain the consent of the court to a move, so if you are concerned about the proposed relocation, you should consider your options….
Parental responsibility gives parents rights and responsibilities in respect of a child. When two parents both have parental responsibility, certain decisions have to be agreed between them. Who has parental responsibility? Simply being a child’s parent does not necessarily mean you have parental responsibility. It is given automatically to the following people: The child’s birth…
Divorce can be a difficult time, but our skilled divorce solicitors at Tayntons are here to support you. We’ll guide you through the process, offering clarity, reassurance, and expert advice every step of the way. We offer an initial fixed-fee consultation to discuss your situation and outline the process ahead. To help you prepare for…
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our work, home, social, and personal lives more than ever before in human history. Aside from the virus itself, this pandemic is stoking fear of financial insecurity and uncertainty to millions of individuals and families around the globe. Divorced and separated families are no exception from the wake of…
When purchasing a property together, couples often choose to register their ownership as a joint tenancy to reflect their shared commitment. But what does this mean? The legal implications of purchasing a property as Joint Tenants are as follows:- You hold equal rights to the whole property under a 50/50 division; In the event that…
We have sadly seen a dramatic increase in domestic abuse cases across the UK since the Government placed the country in lockdown. This has been due to the fact social distancing has made it even more difficult for victims to get enough time away from their abuser to ask for help. Refuge has reported a…
Following Boris Johnson’s announcement on 23rd March 2020, the country has been placed into a police enforced lockdown which has introduced a new raft of restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In such unprecedented times, this has undoubtedly raised questions as to exactly what we can and cannot do. The guidelines state…
What does “common law marriage” mean and is it legally valid? “Common Law Marriage” is likely attributable to the fact that there are common law principles that apply to cohabiting couples. Nevertheless, there continues to be a misconception that a “Common Law Marriage” exists and that it provides the necessary protection for unmarried couples. In…
We participated in Solicitors Chat on Twitter answering questions about getting married abroad and what documentation you need to take with you if you are marrying or entering into a civil partnership abroad. Luke Stephens, our Trainee Solicitor in our Matrimonial department, was on hand to provide some much needed guidance. We’ve set out our…
We participated in Solicitors Chat on Twitter answering questions about how as Solicitors we can provide tailored, expert legal advice you can rely on. Jessica O’Shea, one of our Solicitors in our Childcare department, was on hand to provide some much needed guidance. We’ve set out our answers out below: Tell us about your role…
We participated in Solicitors Chat on Twitter answering questions about how we can help support clients through a breakdown in a relationship. Luke Stephens, our Trainee Solicitor in our Matrimonial department, was on hand to provide some much needed guidance. We’ve set out our answers out below: As a solicitor how do you ease stress…
We participated in Solicitors Chat on Twitter answering questions about how Solicitors can help cohabiting couples protect their rights and the considerations unmarried parents should be aware of. Luke Stephens, our Trainee Solicitors in our Matrimonial department was on hand to provide some much needed guidance. We’ve set out our answers out below: What does…
We participated in Solicitors Chat this morning on Twitter answering questions about no-fault divorce and what these changes mean for the divorce process. Our Trainee Solicitor, Luke Stephens, was on hand to provide some much needed guidance. We’ve set out our answers out below. What is the current process for divorcing or ending a civil…
We participated in Solicitors Chat on Twitter answering questions about pre-nuptial agreements, what they are and if they are enforceable in England and Wales. Our Chartered Legal Executive, Sandra Waller, and our Trainee Solicitor, Luke Stephens, were on hand to provide some much needed guidance. What is a prenuptial agreement and is it a legally…
When divorcing couples have contributed equally to their marital fortune, the general rule is that assets will be split 50/50. However, as one ‘big money’ case showed, it is not always as simple as that and complications can arise in respect of wealth that has been generated post-separation. Prior to a professional couple’s marriage, the…
Court orders must be obeyed or the whole system of justice breaks down. In a case on point, a brother and sister – with a combined age of almost 150 – were sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court in the context of a big money divorce. The brother, aged in his 80s, had been…
A man who neglected to take legal advice before putting his home into his and his long-term girlfriend’s joint names will have to live with the consequences. Despite his protestations, a Judge found that she was entitled to half the property – in part to recompense her for the way that he had treated her….
Any good family lawyer will tell you that the best way of minimising the expense and stress of divorce proceedings is to be straightforwardly honest. The point was well made by a case in which a successful property developer paid heavily for his misguided attempts to deny his ex-wife a just settlement. During their 25-year-marriage,…
Despite any number of cautionary tales appearing in the press and elsewhere, many unmarried cohabitees unwisely persist in buying properties together without taking legal advice. In one case, a woman found out the hard way how difficult it can be to prove your rights if your name is not on the title deeds. The woman…
Dysfunctional relationships between adults cause emotional harm to children and family judges sadly often have to pick up the pieces. In one case, the relationship between a mother and a maternal grandmother was so toxic that the mother’s teenage daughter had to be placed in foster care against her own wishes. The girl had been…
Family judges deal on a daily basis with the consequences of social breakdown and, in every case in which children are involved, their welfare is the primary concern. That was certainly so in one case in which the High Court ruled on the future of a two-year-old boy whose father was aged just 14 when…
Pre-nups – how do they stand up in UK courts? For many years, pre-nups were considered the preserve of the rich and famous – usually in America. But seven years ago, a landmark case suggested they’d finally be taken seriously by UK courts. In what’s known as the Radmacher case, judges ruled that while financial…
April 1st 2015 promises to be a big day for businesses across the UK, as changes in employment law will bring more choice for new parents regarding how much time they spend off work following the birth of a child. From December, employers were told to start offering extended paternity leave for fathers to be,…
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