Category: financial provision

When Civil met Family: how to deal with TOLATA claims in Financial Provision cases – Becket Chambers

Posted November 2nd, 2021 in divorce, family courts, financial provision, joinder, news, third parties by sally

‘The Family Court is seeing an increasing number of cases where property is (or is asserted to be) owned by a third party. As more parents assist children with purchasing a home or friends buy with friends, it is ever more likely that a financial provision case will involve consideration of who owns what. Here are some tips on how to approach such a case.’

Full Story

Becket Chambers, 19th October 2021

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

E v L [2021] EWFC 60 (Fam): Short Marriages, Section 25 Criteria and White Leopards Reconsidered – Becket Chambers

Posted November 2nd, 2021 in divorce, financial provision, matrimonial home, news, valuation by sally

‘The purpose of this article, is to consider the application of the section 25 criteria and in particular the issue of company valuation in the case of E v L [2021] EWFC 60, as decided by Mostyn J.’

Full Story

Becket Chambers, 29th October 2021

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Financial Remedy Update, October 2021 – Family Law Week

Posted October 13th, 2021 in bigamy, divorce, domestic violence, families, family courts, fees, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, foreign jurisdictions, inquiries, internet, media, news, Pakistan by sally

‘Stephanie Hawthorn, associate, and Robert Jackson, trainee solicitor, at Mills & Reeve LLP, consider the important news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during September 2021.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 8th October 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

The online divorce and financial remedy service: How far have we come? And how far can we go? – Family Law

Posted September 20th, 2021 in divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, HM Courts Service, internet, news by sally

‘From 13 September 2021 it will be mandatory for any divorce petition being issued by a solicitor in England and Wales to be issued via the HMCTS online portal. Paper applications will no longer be permitted. The HMCTS online divorce and financial remedy portal has come a long way since its launch in May 2018 and this is yet another important development for the provision of digital solutions in divorce and financial remedy case.’

Full Story

Family Law, 17th September 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

E v L [2021] EWFC 60 (Fam) – Short, childless marriages, the sharing principle and absence of white leopards – Becket Chambers

Posted August 25th, 2021 in chambers articles, children, cohabitation, divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, marriage, news by sally

‘The parties became engaged in 2016 married in 2017 and separated in 2019. The parties disagreed over the date of cohabitation, the wife saying 2016 and the husband denying there was any cohabitation before marriage.’

Full Story

Becket Chambers, 13th August 2021

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Division of assets in a short childless marriage (E v L) – 1 GC: Family Law

Posted August 25th, 2021 in chambers articles, children, divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, marriage, news by sally

‘In E v L, Mr Justice Mostyn considered an application for financial remedies following a short marriage. He concluded the fact that the marriage was childless was irrelevant to whether there should be a departure from the application of the equal sharing principle. Moreover, there was no reason to distinguish between an accrual (of assets) over a short marriage and an accrual over a longer marriage. The statutory factor of the duration of marriage was likely to be reflected in any event in that an acquest over a shorter period was likely to be less. Mostyn J also considered the approach to valuing businesses in this case where three accountants gave “hot-tub” evidence as to the value of one of the husband’s companies.’

Full Story

1 GC: Family Law, 10th August 2021

Source: 1gc.com

Eight things you need to know: Personal Injury damages in divorce cases – Family Law

Posted August 13th, 2021 in damages, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The “pre-acquired” or “non-matrimonial” argument is one which has taken up much commentary in family law circles over recent years. However, the conundrum can be even more challenging when considering personal injury damages that one party may have received in order to meet their specific needs arising from an accident or injury.’

Full Story

Family Law, 12th August 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Reform of s 25 criteria for a divorce financial settlement: after 50 years it’s time for the Law Commission to propose a new law – Family Law

Posted August 13th, 2021 in divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, Law Commission, news, statute law revision by sally

‘The statutory criteria to decide what is a fair financial settlement on divorce comes from the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, now almost 50 years old. In reality it derives from judge made law. This has the benefit of being responsive and able to change. It has the disadvantage that there is no public or policy input into the law or changes in the law. It has the significant difficulty that by reference to almost unfettered discretion with propensity for contradictions or nuances in the judge made law it encourages litigation and discourages early settlement. David Hodson has proposed to the Law Commission, in its request for topics for its 14th programme of reform, that there should be a review of the criteria for fair and appropriate financial settlements. This sets out his proposals for the need for reform. It is in a question-and-answer process as required by the Law Commission for any submissions. It would be very helpful to hear from other lawyers and members of the public with their opinions on whether reform is needed and, far more problematical, what that reform should be.’

Full Story

Family Law, 12th August 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

30 years of the Child Support Act – House of Commons Library

Posted July 21st, 2021 in children, divorce, families, financial provision, legal history, news, parliament by sally

‘The UK’s formal system for child support arrangements between separated families, without involving the courts, is provided by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). This succeeded the Child Support Agency (CSA), first established in 1993 with the Child Support Act 1991.’

Full Story

House of Commons Library, 20th July 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Applying the CMS Formula in High Income Cases – Family Law Week

Posted July 16th, 2021 in children, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news by sally

‘Joshua Viney, barrister, and Henry Pritchard, pupil barrister, both of 1 Hare Court, explore the circumstances in which it might be unfair to apply the CMS formula.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 14th July 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Family Affairs Financial Remedies Update June 2021 – St John’s Chambers

Posted June 14th, 2021 in chambers articles, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news by sally

‘Not for the first time, the reported cases are dominated by parties with limited connection with England and Wales, or indeed with the quotidian financial experience of most of those involved in litigation before our courts. There is a handful of cases which address the impact of the pandemic but, as Judge Kloss observed in one, the fact that there has not been a ‘tsunami’ of Barder applications suggests that the exceptionality condition for such applications is being recognised.’

Full Story

St John's Chambers, 8th June 2021

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk

Costs orders – litigate at your peril – Family Law

Posted June 7th, 2021 in costs, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news by sally

‘It seems there has been a never-ending line of costs commentary flowing through the reported decisions from financial remedy courts as of late. There is a clear trend of encouraging the making of costs orders; something that was far from the norm of no costs orders in contested financial remedy proceedings a few years ago. The reasons for this encouragement are many and possibly speculative; perhaps a by-product of the cuts to Legal Aid and therefore the lack of access to legal representation inevitably leading to extensive, unnecessary, and unmeritorious litigation, perhaps a consequence of the continued backlog in the family courts, perhaps an ancillary product of the widening parameters of judicial discretion and uncertainty?’

Full Story

Family Law, 3rd June 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Pension sharing orders: Finch v Baker – Family Law

Posted May 20th, 2021 in divorce, evidence, financial provision, news, pensions, taxation by sally

‘The Court of Appeal judgment in Finch v Baker [2021] EWCA Civ 72 was released on 28 January 2021. The judgment provides some useful guidance on not being able to get what are essentially conduct arguments contrary to s25(g) through the back door by making “negative contribution” arguments, and it also highlights the importance of ensuring that you adduce and apply for the most appropriate and necessary evidence in advance of a hearing. Simply arguing that an updated pension report is needed, following an appeal hearing, on the basis that the pension sharing order made would not reflect the judge’s intentions as the CE figures would be significantly out of date, is insufficient and misconceived.’

Full Story

Family Law. 14th May 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Resources and Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 – Family Law Week

Posted April 30th, 2021 in divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news, third parties by sally

‘Joseph Rainer and Thomas Haggie, barristers of Queen Elizabeth Building, consider third-party assets and their bearing on the court’s assessment of resources in financial remedy cases.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 28th April 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Oligarch’s son told to pay mother £75m after world’s biggest divorce case – The Guardian

Posted April 22nd, 2021 in divorce, families, financial provision, news by sally

‘The son of an oligarch caught up in the world’s largest divorce case has been told to pay £75m to his mother after a judge at the high court in London found he was “a dishonest individual who will do anything to assist his father”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Costs in financial remedy cases: LM v DM (Costs Ruling) [2021] EWFC 28A short but important judgment Date:30 MAR 2021 – Family Law

Posted March 31st, 2021 in costs, family courts, financial provision, news, practice directions by sally

‘A short but important judgment emphasising the costs consequence that a litigant may face if they have failed to negotiate openly and reasonably in the context of financial remedy proceedings was handed down by Mostyn J on 12 March 2021 in the case of LM v DM (Costs Ruling) [2021] EWFC 28.’

Full Story

Family Law, 30th March 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Capitalisation of Child Maintenance: a very rare bird – Family Law Week

Posted March 22nd, 2021 in children, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘Jo Carr-West, partner with Hunters, considers the implications of Mr Justice Mostyn’s recent judgment in AZ v FM.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 16th March 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Barder: Where are we now? – Family Law

Posted March 15th, 2021 in appeals, coronavirus, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news, time limits by sally

‘Few would have thought back on 1 March 2020 that we would, some 12 months later, be facing the first birthday of the strictest restrictions on personal freedoms in living memory. As we approach the anniversary of the first lockdown on 23 March 2020, it seems appropriate that we reconsider one of key questions of family lawyers back in Spring 2020, that of whether the pandemic was likely to satisfy the principles set down in the 1987 case of Barder v Barder [1987] 2 FLR 480. Unprecedented times, there is no doubt, but unprecedented enough to constitute a Barder event?’

Full Story

Family Law, 12th March 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Barder Event – Family Law Week

Posted February 26th, 2021 in coronavirus, divorce, families, family courts, financial dispute resolution, financial provision, news by sally

‘Richard Kershaw, partner at Hunters Law LLP, considers the implications of Mr Justice Cohen’s judgment in FRB v DRC (No 3).’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 25th February 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Contentious Wills & Probate Case Law Roundup 2020: Part I – Parklane Plowden Chambers

Posted February 18th, 2021 in fees, financial provision, news, repossession, wills by sally

‘In Part I of our three-part series of key caselaw updates in contentious wills, Anna Metcalfe discusses the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.’

Full Story

Parklane Plowden Chambers, 8th February 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk