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Category Archives: Family

UK Law Weekly

Poole Borough Council v GN [2019] UKSC 25

When GN was a child he was physically and psychologically abused by the neighbours from hell yet the local council did next to nothing to step in and try to offer some sort of protection. Now that GN is an adult he is seeking compensation

UK Law Weekly

Owens v Owens [2018] UKSC 41

In order to get a divorce in the UK there has to be some degree of fault by one side or the other. This might include adultery, separation or any of the other behaviours listed in the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. Normally this causes little

UK Law Weekly

Mills v Mills [2018] UKSC 38

Spousal maintenance has often been compared in the mainstream media to a ‘meal ticket for life’ but to what extent does that phrase hide a more widespread misogyny that underpins the way that we think about divorce law? In this episode we examine a case

UK Law Weekly

Williams v London Borough of Hackney [2018] UKSC 37

When the state uses its power to take children away from their parents this has to be treated with a great deal of sensitivity. If consent is needed then that delegation of parental responsibility must be real and voluntary but does it also need to

Marriage is so last century

One of the most important social rights that has been won in recent years was gay marriage. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 came into force in early 2014 and since then hundreds of people and their partners have taken advantage of the legislation.

SM (Algeria) v Entry Clearance Officer [2018] UKSC 9

Family law and in particular the law relating to adoption can vary between cultures but is that enough to deny the free movement of people under EU law? In this episode we explore that question in the context of the Islamic adoption system of kafala.

UK Law Weekly

In the Matter of C (Children) [2018] UKSC 8

Despite the rather dramatic name abduction cases are rarely clear cut and require a delicate balancing act between both parties while also ensuring that the welfare of the children involved is protected. In this case a mother, with the permission of the father, left Australia

McDonald v Newton or McDonald [2017] UKSC 52

The concept of matrimonial property was shaken up in the context of Scottish divorce law by the Supreme Court in this case. In particular the Justices had to make a decision about what proportion of a pension could be included and what it meant to

A World Without Lawyers Is Actually Not So Great

Recently the third edition of ‘The Family Court Without A lawyer – A Handbook For Litigants In Person’ was completed by Lucy Reed but the foreword that was written by Sir Jame Munby, the President of the Family Division, posed a rather existential question for