United Kingdom: Family Law

From landmark cases in the House of Lords to decades of helping families navigate life's most challenging transitions, Christopher Monro reflects on a legal career spanning nearly five decades. What drives a solicitor to shift from landlord-tenant litigation to family law, and what lessons emerge from representing clients at the highest levels of the UK court system?

The UK government has expanded the Hong Kong BN(O) Adult Child visa route to include adult children born on or after 1 July 1979, closing a significant eligibility gap that previously excluded certain siblings within the same family.

The Government has launched a 10-week consultation on significant cohabitation reforms in England and Wales, proposing new rights for cohabitees upon separation and intestacy, alongside making pre- and post-nuptial agreements legally binding. Leading legal experts examine recent TLATA decisions and explore what these anticipated reforms may mean for practitioners advising clients in this evolving area of family law.

Hybrid mediation represents a transformative approach to family dispute resolution, combining the flexibility of traditional mediation with direct lawyer involvement and expert support. This innovative model addresses power imbalances, ensures legally sound outcomes, and provides families with a safer, more efficient alternative to adversarial litigation.

The Court of Protection applies a specific legal test to determine whether someone has the mental capacity to engage in sexual relations.

On 21 May 2025, I had the pleasure of ditching my usual morning commute to speak at the Dura breakfast talk arranged by Lottie Leefe, founder of The Dura Society...

One of the cornerstones of financial remedy proceedings in England and Wales is the obligation on both parties to give full, frank and clear financial disclosure.

Although there is no general right of ownership over a dead body, there is a duty at common law to arrange for the proper disposal of the body. That duty falls on the personal representatives of the deceased.

For families with significant wealth, relationship planning is increasingly approached as part of a wider conversation about financial resilience and long-term stewardship. That shift has not occurred because attitudes towards marriage or partnership have hardened, but because the legal framework governing financial outcomes on separation has remained stubbornly unresolved.