As the number of same-sex couple families has increased by over 25% in the last 10 years, our Family team has received a growing number of enquiries in respect of who has parental responsibility.

The Legal 500's results for 2022 have been announced and we're extremely proud to have ranked in 9 practice areas (Employment, Corporate & Commercial, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Property, Family, Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, Contentious Probate, Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury) up one more than last year.

​In order to qualify for legal aid, survivors are required to provide evidence of domestic abuse taking place. This is to ensure that legal aid funding is targeted at those who are most in need. From 1st October 2021, health professionals will no longer be able to charge for providing this evidence in accordance with Section 80 of the Domestic Abuse Act.

From Monday 13th September 2021, divorce applications must be submitted online using MyHMCTS, replacing the paper D8 form. This is being codified through Practice Direction 36X of the Family Procedure Rules.

Helen Thewlis, Head of Family Law at Ramsdens, has featured in the latest edition of Topic UK, where she shares how helping families is a way of life for her.

The United Nations protocol defines Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation.

When going through a divorce it is easy for animosity between parents to develop exponentially, often to the detriment of the entire family, including the children. This can lead to the children’s needs being forgotten when in fact it should be one of, if not the most important consideration during the divorce proceedings.

Ministers have announced that the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, which will allow married couples to divorce without assigning blame, will come into force on 6th April 2022.