Ramsdens Solicitors announced three new Partners in its latest annual promotions round. They also promoted nine staff to associate and senior associate roles. These promotions will significantly bolster the firm's Family, Private Client, Corporate and Commercial and Commercial Property teams.

In the first instance no they are not! The law in England and Wales concerning dividing assets and liabilities on divorce is exactly the same whether the respective spouses are living in suburbia or the countryside. The starting point or “yardstick” is equality with consideration given to a number of factors in order to help in determining what is “fair”.

Shocking statistics have been revealed confirming that 1 in 13 women in Yorkshire and the Humber have experienced domestic abuse in the last year. Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 7.7% of all women aged 16 to 59 in this region were victims of domestic abuse at least once in the last year. Alarmingly, this means that an estimated 119,500 women and girls in Yorkshire and the Humber suffered abuse in 2017.

This week has been Child Safety Awareness Week run by the Child Action Prevention Trust. Throughout the course of the week we have run a series of blogs focusing on child safety and how it can be enhanced. Risks to children exist in everyday life whether that be by way of accident, injury, exposure to content in social media or other online resource or more targeted harm in the form of physical or sexual violence.

Helen Thewlis, Head of Family Law at Ramsdens​, uses her charity day to support the Huddersfield Town Foundation Breakfast club, along with her colleague Jaynie Broughton. Find out more about what they get up to here.

Domestic abuse is a widespread issue across the UK. It is well reported that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience domestic abuse throughout their life time. The UK’s leading children’s charity, Barnardo’s, has responded to the recent consultation on the Domestic Abuse and Violence Bill. Barnardo’s say that children affected by domestic violence and abuse need specialist services to help them deal with trauma and have the chance to lead healthy and happy lives.

​Forced Marriage Protection Orders can be obtained in the Family Courts to give the necessary protection by way of a Court Order. Forced Marriage is also being recognised in the criminal Courts and the second conviction of its kind within a week has taken place. The conviction was of a Leeds based couple.

An appeal made by a wife ends her lifetime maintenance and her “meal ticket for life”. Mrs Waggott had initially been awarded a settlement of over £9 million plus £175,000 per year in spousal maintenance for the rest of her life. She appealed, asking the Courts to vary the spousal maintenance order to provide her with an additional £23,000 per annum.