Going through a divorce can be an emotional time, and naturally, couples prefer to get through the process as quickly as possible. As such, divorcing couples are often keen to know exactly how long it takes to get divorced. The amount of time it takes to...
Probate is the process of administering the estate of the deceased according to their wishes. This gives an individual, normally named in a Will, the legal rights to handle any property, assets, positions, and money left behind. In the UK, probate generally...
When a loved one passes away, you’ll be dealing with the emotional turmoil, while perhaps also dealing with the practical elements. The situation can become all the more difficult to cope with if you haven’t received what you were expecting in...
Divorce can cause plenty of uncertainty with regards to future. Arrangements for children, finances and property need to be made , but often people’s biggest concern is their pension. To many people, their pension is considered to be their most...
Unmarried couples living together are one of Britain’s fastest growing family types. But unlike married couples who have various legal rights, this does not apply to unmarried cohabiting couples, despite the speculation that when you live together, you...
Going through a divorce when you share children can be an emotionally challenging situation, often having the potential to cause considerable disruption to your life, particularly where child custody cannot be amicably agreed upon. Who gets custody of a...
Going through a divorce is an emotionally testing experience and dealing with the practicalities often feels like a real burden. How to approach the division of finances can be a sensitive subject, but with the right legal support, it is usually possible to...
Divorce applications have increased significantly since “no-fault” divorce was introduced in April 2022. 33,234 divorce applications were made from April to June 2022, the highest number in a decade according to statistics published by the Law...
A divorce can be incredibly challenging for everyone involved. From the emotional strain to conflict around childcare and the uncertainty regarding the division of assets, there are often a lot of thorny issues to unpick. Of these, the financial side of...
The Government has confirmed that an additional £1.3 million has been invested into the UK Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which was originally launched in March 2021. The funding will provide an additional 2,440 vouchers for mediation services,...
No-fault divorce will be introduced in England and Wales as of April 6 2022. This change will mean neither party in the divorcing couple will need to lay blame on the other for the breakdown of their marriage. This will lead to a more straightforward...
With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to have an unprecedented impact on charities and non-profit organisations, legacy donations left in Wills are currently more important (and prevalent) than ever before. But as is often the case with matters of probate,...
Recent research from the family law community Resolution has found that one third of separated or divorced parents have found it difficult to maintain their usual child contact arrangements during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The findings came after...
Two leading names in the leasehold sector have agreed to significantly change the way they operate, providing more freedom to leaseholders in the process. It has been announced that national housebuilder Persimmon will allow its leaseholders to buy the...
Compulsory alternative dispute resolution (ADR) could soon become a reality for civil litigation, following a landmark report by the Civil Justice Council. Forcing litigants to attempt ADR has been deemed lawful by the Civil Justice Council in a report...
007 actor Daniel Craig has revealed that he is not intending to leave his children a large fortune, telling Saga Magazine: “I don’t want to leave great sums to the next generation”. While most of us do not have the sort of fortune Daniel...
A new scheme has been introduced to help first time buyers get on the housing ladder. Buyers will be offered a discount of at least 30% (and up to 50% if there is local need) off the market price of a new build home. While the scheme – called the...
A 1.25% National Insurance rise to fund health and social care proposed by the Conservative government has been passed by the House of Commons, despite the Tories’ 2019 manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or National Insurance. £12...
The Covid-19 vaccines could finally bring an end to this third, challenging national lockdown. While children are not yet in line to receive any of the approved vaccines, the situation has raised a difficult question. If the vaccines are not mandatory, what...
Employers who make furloughed employees redundant could potentially face action from HMRC to clawback furlough payments. Although the Government has stated that placing employees on furlough does not prevent a business from considering redundancies, there is...
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act) which came into force on 26 June 2020 has introduced a range of new measures designed to help struggling but viable companies overcome their financial difficulties. The Act was rushed through...
Around half of people in England and Wales believe that unmarried couples who live together for a long time get the same legal rights as married couples under a “common law marriage”. This is wrong. In the UK, there is no such thing as common...
It is always important to think about inheritance issues when you have a major change of circumstances, such as getting married, having children or getting divorced . While getting divorced will not completely invalidate your Will, it will change the effect...
Mediation is now the most common way of making financial settlements and arrangements for children during divorce. It is generally much faster and less costly than dealing with your divorce through the courts, as well as allowing you to keep proceedings...
The hardest part of divorce is making decisions about things like where your children will live and how your money and property should be divided. Discussing these matters with your former partner can be difficult and it is understandable to be concerned...
Most flats in England and Wales are sold on a freehold basis, as are many new build houses that have been sold in recent years. There are lots of horror stories about leaseholds, such as issues around escalating ground rents , so it’s important to...
When you buy or sell a property, there are all sorts of legal processes you need to get right to make sure the deal works for you and that you stay protected. This is also true when remortgaging, buying a leasehold or taking part in any other type of legal...
The process for buying a leasehold property is slightly different than for buying a freehold property and there are a number of issues you need to consider. Your conveyancer should be able to guide you through all of these issues, making sure you fully...
Mediation is now the most common option for dealing with financial settlements and arrangements for children during divorce and separation. The focus is on achieving an amicable agreement on these issues with your former spouse under the guidance of a...
Divorce often conjures up images of bleak courtrooms, stern judges, and blazing arguments. Thankfully, in reality, the majority of couples are able to come to an amicable divorce settlement without going to court. Family mediation is a method of...
Buying the freehold on your leasehold property can be a sensible move, giving you more control over the property as well as reducing or eliminating many ongoing costs involved in being a leaseholder, such as ground rent and service charges. The exact...
If you own a leasehold flat, it’s important to understand the process for renewing your lease, as well as your right to do so and when is the right time to renew. The reason this is so critical is because the time remaining on the lease can make a big...
Services charges, and increasingly ground rent as well, are a common cause of disputes between leaseholders and their landlords. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to challenge these costs or even take over the management of your building,...
Most of us now rely on the convenience of online banking, shopping and communication as part of our daily lives – but what about when it comes to the big things, like getting divorced? With the government now launching a new scheme allowing couples to...
When getting divorced or separating, making a financial agreement with your ex-partner is usually one of the most important practical issues you will need to sort out. While this can sometimes be relatively straightforward, it can easily become complicated...
Successful appeal from a care and placement order in which the Court of Appeal found that the first instance judgment should have contained clear and reasoned findings about disputed facts. This was an appeal to the Court of Appeal by a mother against care...
Christmas and New Year can often bring home the real tensions and difficulties in relationships and for many, the New Year is a time to resolve those matters and make a fresh start. If you are considering ending your relationship, specialist family advise is...
Atkins Hope hosted a lecture event in Medway on the subject of Adoption, they were delighted to welcome Dr Derek Kirton from the University of Kent who gave a lecture entitled “Adoption Reform, a triumph for common sense or “manufactured...
Atkins Hope were delighted to support Absolutely Opera! at the Gala Fund Raiser for Surrey Law Centre. The event was supported by many luminaries from the Surrey Legal Community and beyond. Glive Studio in Guildford was the venue and the event was...
Atkins Hope Managing Partner Jerry Bull speaks to the Croydon Advertiser and hits out at the proposed legal aid changes. Although the alterations to Criminal Legal Aid have been headline news, also in the consultation are proposals which will have a massive...
Following on from Winning the Jordan's Family Law Firm of the Year Award 2012 Atkins Hope, a well-established and nationally recognised Legal Aid firm, whose head office is in Croydon, are now developing their Rochester office to provide a...
Atkins Hope acted to protect the privacy and Article 8 Rights of the family of Ms Webber from considerable press intrusion both during and after the Criminal trial of Ms Webber. In a case where Ms Webber had defrauded the benefits system of £350,000...
A commitment to safeguarding vulnerable children has led to Croydon-based solicitors Atkins Hope being named as Family Law Firm of the Year at prestigious national awards. The company, based in North End, won the award at the Family Law Awards 2012,...
Volunteers from Atkins Hope will walking in the 8th London Legal sponsored walk on May 21st to raise funds for South West London Law Centres (SWLLC). It is a 10km "after work" walk from the Royal Courts of Justice to Vauxhall Bridge along the...
The government faced intense lobbying over its legal aid reforms this week, as the Law Society put forward a raft of alternative measures to preserve the legal aid budget. The Society also launched a high-profile internet campaign, ‘Sound off for...
