Affairs no longer the leading reason for divorce?

Grant Thornton’s 2011 matrimonial survey sought the opinion of 101 family lawyers in England and Wales on various issues surrounding matrimonial work undertaken by family lawyers.

For the last 8 years the findings of the survey have established that the top cited reason for divorce is extra-marital affairs. However this year, for the first time, the top cited reason given by the participants was that the parties had ‘grown apart’ or ‘fallen out of love’. 27% of the responses suggested that this was the most common reason for a marriage breakdown. Extra-martial affairs came a close second at 25%.

Interestingly, in these difficult economic times only 1% of the family lawyers responding to the survey thought that business problems were the leading cause of marriage breakdown and divorce.

For more divorce law advice please see our website at http://www.pannone.com/services/family-personal-and-financial/family/financial-settlements-on-divorce

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‘Tough love’ vital for children of divorcing parents

Think tank ‘Demos’ has published research on the UK’s drinking habits, The Telegraph reported over the weekend, showing strong links between a child’s upbringing and his or her future relationship with alcohol.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, according to Demos children whose parents divorce are “more likely to have ‘problematic drinking behaviours’”, due either to the stress of the divorce process or impact it has on the parent/child relationship.

The research reveals that children are affected most, not by divorce itself, but by a parent becoming ‘disengaged’ from their child as a result.  Divorcing parents must remain emotionally engaged with their child, regularly demonstrating warmth and affection particularly when a child is under five, to reduce the chances of their pre-schooler drinking to excess by the time they reach 16.

However children also need discipline particularly during the emotional upheaval caused by separation, and parents must ‘set and enforce clear boundaries’.  If parents can work together and set aside their own issues, their children are far less likely to develop such social issues in their teens.

It is vital to obtain divorce advice from a specialist family law solicitor if you are concerned about co-parenting following separation. 

For more advice on divorce read our family law blog, follow us on Twitter or call Pannone on 0800 840 4929.

THE SQUEEZED MIDDLE CAN’T WAIT ANY LONGER TO DIVORCE

Recent press reports suggest that even though there has been little improvement in the financial climate, many couples who had put their divorce ‘on hold’ in the hope that things would improve are now finding that they cannot wait any longer.

For couples where resources are already stretched, achieving a divorce settlement which divides the available resources in a way that gives them the best possible standard of living, both in the medium and the longer term, is a growing challenge for divorce solicitors.

Pensions is an area where divorce advice is particularly important to make sure that the best use is made of the funds that are available and this can make a big difference to a person’s future financial security.

Static property prices are a further difficulty and in some cases where the proceeds would not stretch to provide two homes the answer may be a divorce settlement where the sale is delayed until a future date, such as when children have completed their education.

For more advice on divorce follow our family law blog or follow us on Twitter@Divorce_experts

Formula 1 Billionaire’s daughter to marry – is she in need of Family Law Advice?

You may have read in the press recently that Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone’s daughter has recently announced her engagement to businessman Jamie Stunt.

It is reported that Bernie Ecclestone is keen to protect his billions by ensuring his daughter signs an “ironclad” prenuptial agreement. This begs the question - can pre-nuptial agreements protect inherited assets? 

A pre-nuptial agreement is a formal agreement entered into prior to a marriage or civil partnership which sets out who owns what at the time of marriage and also how the couple envisage that those assets should be divided in the event of divorce or separation. At present, divorce law is clear that pre-nuptial agreements are not “ironclad” in England and Wales.

If you would like to discuss a pre-nuptial agreement with one of our divorce law solicitors, please contact us on click here or call us on 0800 840 4929. We are available to take your call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

Divorce Can Impact Children of All Ages - Even Rafael Nadal

Tennis enthusiasts will be aware of the problems that Rafael Nadal has had with his knees. This was the reason he gave for pulling out of Wimbledon in 2009. However, Rafael Nadal has indicated in a book about his life that this was not the only reason for his dip in performance. Sadly his parents' divorce had a negative impact upon him.  In his book he states that he "was depressed, lacking in enthusiam" as a result of the divorce.

Separating parents often worry about the impact that their divorce will have upon their young children. Less parents worry about the impact that it will have upon their adult children. Divorce is often a difficult time for all involved. Dealing with matters as amicably as is possible will often soften the impact of divorce upon a couple's children.

 Read more divorce and family law advice on our blog or follow us on Twitter @Divorce_experts

Trading with your divorce settlement

The New Zealand Herald News has recently reported on the growing trend of 'divorce parties' amongst divorcees, wishing to rid themselves of unwanted items kept by them as part of their divorce settlement.  The paper interviewed a businesswoman whose company is specifically dedicated to organising such events.  The items can range from clothes to handbags to pieces of furniture.

As part of reaching a financial agreement on divorce, you will need to consider with your family law solicitor, how you wish to deal with personal possessions and the contents of the family home.  Once the division of your goods and chattels has been agreed and implemented, you are free to do with them as you choose.  You may actually prefer to get rid of some of this baggage of your married life, psychologically moving on.

At Pannone, our divorce lawyers are able to discuss with you the resolution of all financial aspects arising from the breakdown of your marriage, including dealing with smaller, more personal, items.   For further details about what we can do for you and the divorce advice which we can provide, please click here.

Men increasingly victims of violence by their partners

There have been numerous articles in the press in recent week involving domestic violence by women against their male partners. 

Domestic violence is something which is more commonly thought of as a 'women's' issue' but there can be no dispute that it affects a large number of men too, and the numbers of cases reported have steadily increased over the last few years. 

BBC Radio 5 recently reported that figures from the CPS indicate that the number of domestic violence convictions of women for violence against men has risen from just 1,500 in 2005, to almost 4000 this last year.

Violence in the home, whether against women, men or children, is treated seriously by the family courts and there are various measures which can be put in place to protect victims.  If you are a victim you should consult a family law solicitor urgently. It can also be grounds for divorce.

In Manchester, a new scheme of 'exclusion orders' which are served by the police is being trialled, which it is hoped will make it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain urgent assistance, pending more long term measures being put in place.

The message is clear that the law is there to help any victims of domestic violence, and people should not be scared of obtaining legal advice from a specialist divorce lawyer or family law solicitor as to the various remedies available.

Read more divorce and family law advice on our blog or follow us on Twitter @Divorce_experts