The big news in the world of family law this week came from the Supreme Court who handed down the eagerly awaited judgment in the case of Agbaje. Mr and Mrs Agbaje were Nigerians who had spent extended periods in the UK during their long marriage. Mrs Agbaje came to live in one of the parties'... read more

With the general election looming on or before 3 June 2010, Justice Minister Bridget Prentice has been forced to accept a new clause to the government's Children, Schools and Families Bill requiring a full, independent review of media access to the family courts. The review is to assess the... read more

Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has recently revealed that a decision as to whether the country will become a signatory to the Hague Convention will soon be made.  The Hague Convention has been in existence for almost 30 years, and if Japan decides to enter into it, it will become... read more

Judge Graham Cliffe, a senior family judge based in York has warned of an 'alarming deterioration' in the protection of vulnerable children in court proceedings, primarily those involved in care proceedings. His concern relates to the provision of services from CAFCASS (Children and Family... read more

On Sunday, 14th February 2010, the Sunday Telegraph reported how the wife of the former commercial director of the steel giant Corus has been unable to pursue divorce proceedings in the UK.   The Telegraph reports that the couple were living in France at the time their... read more

The Office of National Statistics has revealed that the number of people who married in 2008 has dropped to 232,990 - the lowest number since 1895. People are also waiting longer to marry. The average age for a man to walk down the aisle is now 32.1 years and a woman 29.9 years. A range... read more

Various media reports have claimed that the Italian Prime Minister and his wife, Veronica Lario, have been trading allegations of adultery in the context of their divorce. Mr Berlusconi's antics have been widely reported and it is understood that Ms Lario left Mr Berlusconi when she... read more

Children's secretary, Ed Balls, has today announced plans to abolish the legal requirement for grandparents to apply to court for permission ('leave') subsequently to apply to the court for contact with their grandchildren when this is denied.  This requirement for leave creates an... read more

The French Premier, Francois Fillon, has announced the government’s intention to create a new criminal offence of ‘psychological violence’ where couples are married or cohabiting. This would mean that verbal abuse directed towards your spouse or partner would be against the law. It is... read more

Today, being the first working day after the Christmas break, is traditionally the busiest of the year for family law solicitors. As a result it has become known as ‘D day’ with the D standing for Divorce.There appear to be a number of reasons why today is the one which people choose to make... read more