Legal Resources and News

Mediation has been an alternative to court hearings for some time now, but its popularity is rising in part thanks to its relative affordability in comparison to the cost of running a case to court with solicitors and barristers. The court is understandably keen for parties to attempt mediation before taking up court time, and indeed in certain cases, for instance, matters involving children or finances on divorce, it is a requirement that parties have formally considered mediation before the court will entertain an application.

Neves Solicitors is delighted to announce that Emily Pope qualified as a Family Law solicitor on 3^rd December 2020. Emily joined Neves Solicitors in September 2018 as a trainee solicitor. As part of her training she has had seats in the Conveyancing, Dispute Resolution and Family Law departments. 

The number of applications for child arrangements orders made by grandparents is increasing. 
It is, unfortunately, a sad fact that some grandparents do not have contact with their grandchildren. There are a variety of reasons for this including family fall-outs between the parents and grandparents, the separation of the parents, the relocation of a family many miles away and a death in the family which has caused communications to fail.

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.