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Sole or joint divorce application?

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With the introduction of no-fault divorce back in April 2022, one of the new measures put in place by the court was the ability for individuals to be able to make a joint divorce application together.     This was largely done in an attempt by...

Christmas and Contact for Children

David Starkey
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Winter is coming, and with that, Christmas will soon be upon us. Making contact arrangements for children over the holiday period can be a difficult task for separated parents. However, as difficult as it may be, you are better to address it early as doing...

Domestic abuse - How can it be identified and what steps to take

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Domestic abuse over recent years has become a much more widely discussed topic within society, with increasing recognition for male sufferers of domestic abuse, such as in the recent Channel 5 documentary ‘My Wife, My Abuser’.   Family...

Nuptial Agreements

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Nuptial agreements – Is it right for me and what should I look out for?   Pre-nuptial agreements are becoming more and more common now for couples within the UK. In the 1980’s, on average only 1.5% of newly married couples would look to...

Christmas Contact

David Starkey
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Christmas is traditionally a time for families to come together and spend time together, however, it can be a difficult time for those parents who are separated or in the middle of a divorce and especially difficult for their children.   In order to...

New Non-Fault Divorce Laws

Andrew Campbell
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As of the 6 th April 2022, the law on divorce/dissolution had one of its biggest changes in 50 years. The main change has meant that for spouses, or civil partners, you will not need to use fault as a reason for divorce/dissolution. The only thing that will...

New family Law Specialist

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We are pleased to introduce Andrew Campbell, a new solicitor in our family department. Andrew is a qualified solicitor and has worked in family law for much of his legal career. He has recently joined our experienced family team and is equipped to deal with...

Help in making contact work in the Coronavirus crisis

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Parents must try to work together to agree any changes needed to contact arrangements for their children during these difficult times. 1. Make use of social media and video conferencing apps (Facetime, Skype etc.). This may need to be used more often than...

New Divorce Laws

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The Divorce Reform Act 1969 enabled people to end marriages that had “irretrievably broken down” without having to prove fault. Couples could end marriages after two years of separation, if both parties desired divorce, or five years if only one...

Relocating to the UK - a Foreign Qualified Lawyer's Guide.

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Shortly after we began our relationship my (now) fiancee, who grew up in Sussex before travelling and then settling in Australia, made it clear that she hoped to return to the UK someday – and that she wanted me to come with her. At first I felt some...

The Cost of Settling

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Are the costs consequences of not accepting an offer to settle about to change?   In financial remedy proceedings ancillary to divorce, the general rule is that each party is responsible for their own legal costs and the court will only make a costs...

Is Divorce or Separation on the Horizon in the New Year?

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If a relationship is already under pressure then Christmas and the New Year season can serve to bring matters to a crisis.  It is true to say that Family Solicitors find the New Year and January to be a busy time.  This may be for a couple of...

Our separation is all agreed so why do I need legal advice?

Jon Topham
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Everything is agreed in my separation, I don’t need legal advice right? Wrong! A recent case highlights the dangers of proceeding based on a verbal agreement on separation. A couple who had married in 1986 and had two children agreed to...

Why do I need to instruct a Family Solicitor?

David Starkey
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It is normal that where a marriage has broken down, there is usually at least one party feeling angry, sad, disappointed, or a mixture of all of those things.  It is therefore very easy for a divorce, and any associated financial or children related...

Divorce and Money separated

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A recent pilot divorce administration system run in the South West Regional Divorce Centre in Southampton, under which contested financial remedy proceedings are ‘de-linked’ from the main divorce proceedings has proved a success. Under the...

How to formalise your relationship outside marriage.

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How to formalise your relationship outside marriage. The Court of Appeal has rejected a claim by a heterosexual couple that their civil partnership be recognised.  The law provides civil partnership only for same sex couples whilst it now provides...

Resolution

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The Family Team at John Hodge Solicitors are all members of or prescribe to the code of conduct of Resolution an organisation, which represents 6,500 family justice professionals who are committed to supporting couples to reach constructive solutions to...

Holiday Time

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HOLIDAY TIME   At lot has been reported in the press recently about taking children out of school during term time for a holiday but what about time away during the official holiday period where parents are separated – particularly holidays...

Court Fees on Divorce Increase from 21 March 2016

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As a Family Lawyer I would say that I am pretty un-shockable, but I must admit that the Government’s 34% increase in the Court fee on divorce has been quite a surprise. We knew that it was being considered and was likely to take effect at some point;...

Put Children First

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Put Children First Each year around 240,000 children in the UK experience the separation of their parents. More than one in three children will see their parents split up before they reach their 16th birthday. When parents split up, children can often...

Bristol Family Law Clinic

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John Hodge Solicitors are pleased to announce that we are now offering a Family Law clinic at our Bristol office on the third Saturday of each month between 10.00am and 2.00pm, commencing on Saturday 17 th October 2015. There is no need to make an...

When Divorce Is Not the End

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When divorce is not the end. All family lawyers will have anecdotes of clients who, even after difficult divorces, will reunite with their former spouse.  This can have some unintended consequences. Some reunited couples will of course remarry, and...

The Importance of Financial Orders upon Divorce

David Starkey
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The case of Wyatt and Vince has recently highlighted the importance of obtaining an Order dealing with financial matters during divorce proceedings. Mr Vince and Ms Wyatt met as students in their early twenties and married in 1981. The pair had a son...

Maintenance on divorce

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Maintenance on divorce; how much and for how long? One of the questions we are frequently asked by newly separated clients is how much maintenance they should either pay to or receive from their spouse.  Where the maintenance is being paid in respect...

Litigant in person seminar

David Starkey
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Many people have never set foot inside a court building and wouldn’t dream of doing so without a lawyer to guide them through the process. However, more so than ever before, people are having to represent themselves in family court cases. If you find...

Unmarried Couples

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Unmarried couples - How does my position differ from someone who is married? If you are married or in a civil partnership and your relationship breaks down then you can claim maintenance, lump sums, and other financial provision including  pension...

Client credit with Iceberg

David Starkey
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At John Hodge Solicitors we understand that clients facing divorce or financial disputes following the breakdown of a relationship are likely to be experiencing a period of emotional and financial turmoil.  We are therefore delighted to announce that,...

Wedmore Family Law Clinic

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Wedmore Family Law Clinic If you have a question or concern regarding any aspect of Family Law and live in Wedmore or the surrounding area, John Hodge Solicitors is now offering a Family Law clinic each Tuesday between 9.30am and 4pm.  With no...

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