Europe: Family and Matrimonial

The Office for National Statistics has released its latest report on divorce and dissolution of marriages in England and Wales, revealing significant shifts in how modern relationships are evolving.

Senior Associate Solicitor Andrew Ormrod explains how couples over 50 can navigate the complex financial landscape of 'silver divorce', addressing critical concerns about property division, pension sharing, inheritance protection, and retirement security. Understanding your rights regarding the family home, pensions, investments and future inheritance is essential when working toward a fair financial settlement later in life.

Rising family court caseloads and the emotional toll of adversarial divorce proceedings raise a critical question: should more separating couples explore alternatives to traditional litigation? One family lawyer shares her personal experience of divorce and explains why collaborative approaches like the One Couple, One Lawyer model may offer a better path forward for families seeking to preserve relationships while resolving disputes.

The Office for National Statistics has released its latest report on divorce and dissolution of marriages in England and Wales, revealing significant shifts in how modern relationships are evolving.

When someone dies leaving a will in England and Wales, many assume their affairs can be handled quickly without formal paperwork. However, probate is often still required to confirm who has authority to manage the estate, collect assets, settle debts, and distribute what remains. Whether probate is needed depends on what the deceased owned, how it was owned, and which organisations hold the assets.

As life expectancy rises and dementia diagnoses become more common, capacity challenges are emerging as a central issue in contentious probate claims. Disputes increasingly arise from concerns about whether testators truly understood and approved their Will's contents, requiring detailed examination of medical records and execution circumstances.

The Office for National Statistics has released its latest report on divorce and dissolution of marriages in England and Wales, revealing significant shifts in how modern relationships are evolving.

The judgment in A&B v C&D [2026] EWHC 972 (Fam), handed down by Mr Justice Williams on 27 April 2026, concerned nine parental order applications which were listed before him for final hearings earlier this year. Rather than deciding each case on its individual facts, the judge took the unusual step of deferring decisions on all nine applications while he went back to basic principles to consider the court’s role and approach to parental orders.

Rising family court caseloads and the emotional toll of adversarial divorce proceedings raise a critical question: should more separating couples explore alternatives to traditional litigation? One family lawyer shares her personal experience of divorce and explains why collaborative approaches like the One Couple, One Lawyer model may offer a better path forward for families seeking to preserve relationships while resolving disputes.