Legal Resources and News

If you are cohabiting it is important to understand that you do not have automatic rights or interests in your partner’s property, income, capital, pensions or assets generally. Neither do you have an automatic interest in their estate should they die before you. This can mean that if your relationship changes, in particular on separation, or in the event of death, you can find yourself financially as well as emotionally bereft.

Men are not automatically prejudiced by the legal system on divorce. However, most men will have heard horror stories about women getting the lion share of the money and children’s time. This is often where men have accepted the role of main breadwinner within the household. For most men, the steps they take immediately after the decision to separate is crucial in determining how much time they will spend with their children and the financial cost to them.

Parents often decide the arrangements for child maintenance payments between themselves, with payment usually made on a monthly basis. Alternatively, if this is not possible, they can apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS and for those of you old enough this is formerly the CSA) or obtain a court order. Even with a court order in place, after 12 months from the date of the order, either parent can make an application to the CMS.

The importance of making a valid Will cannot be overstated. Even in this day and age, so many people die without having made a Will.

There is an alarming rise in property fraud to which every property owner is vulnerable with fraudsters using increasingly sophisticated methods to misappropriate property interests. Those properties that are either unregistered at the Land Registry, vacant, tenanted, being refurbished or mortgage free are considered to be most at risk so this raises the question what, if any, measures may be available to you to better protect your property against such criminal activity?