March 2014 #134 – Law Journals

Validity Of Marriage: More than a formality

Rebecca Huxford outlines the courts’ approach to validity of marriage and when there may be a ‘non-marriage’ ‘Where there has been nothing that could even be considered a ceremony or a purported marriage that this will not give rise to an entitlement to a decree of divorce or nullity.’Family lawyers are generally only consulted at …

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Third Parties: To join or not to join?

Vicki McLynn considers the question of the interests of third parties in financial remedy proceedings ‘When the family court is determining a dispute between a spouse and a third party it must be approached on the same basis as if it were being determined by the Chancery Division.’ The issue of third-party interests in financial …

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Marital Agreements: Re-opening the door

Ellie Foster sets out the implications of any gaps in a marital agreement and the importance of needs in big money ‘The marriage settlement could be disregarded as it did not provide secure English housing for the wife nor did it prevent a claim for maintenance’. The decision of Moor J in AH v PH …

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Enforcement: Seeking remedies

Rachel Donald asks whether the enforcement provisions of r33 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 can be undermined by a variation application ‘For an unpaid party, the costs associated with defending a variation application can altogether outweigh the value of the claim they seek to enforce.’ The introduction of the general enforcement application in family …

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Cohabitation: Time for reform?

Amy Harris looks at the Cohabitation Rights Bill and the array of provisions dealing with cohabitation for both cohabitants and spouses ‘While cohabitation is not specifically cited as a factor to be taken into consideration by the courts in relation to the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 1973 it is clear that it is increasingly relevant …

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Litigants In Person: All alone

Ruth Abrams analyses the increase in litigants in person and the move away from legal representation ‘There is now a raft of people who would have been eligible for legal aid and who, due to their financial circumstances, now have no access to legal advice.’It is expected that 2014 will see more litigants in person …

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Contact And Domestic Abuse: Seeking clarity

Toby Hales examines whether recent developments are an erosion of the guidance in Re L on contact and domestic abuse ‘Applicants, frequently at first hearings, may insist that allegations have been invented as a deliberate ploy to frustrate contact, and invite the court to make an interim determination of contact.’ Practitioners of private children law …

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