As the case of Owens v Owens reaches the Supreme Court today there are continued calls for a change in the law to allow for no fault divorce. The law now requires one person to blame the other for the divorce unless they are prepared to wait 2 years. Even if both parties agree that the marriage is over, blame must be apportioned.

For every 3 victims of domestic abuse 2 will be women and 1 will be a man. Domestic abuse effects both genders. It also effects people from every kind of background and culture. Statistics show that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will suffer domestic abuse during their lifetime. Given these statistics, there is every chance that a friend or relative of your own could be suffering from domestic abuse.

Figures recently released from the Ministry of Justice have shown an increase in the number of grandparents going to Court in order to have contact with their grandchildren.

A Judge has recently described an ongoing Divorce case as a “scandalous waste of court time”. The assets of the case amount to around £6.6million and £2million has already been spent on legal fees, regrettably the case is yet to conclude so the legal costs will continue to escalate.

“I’m sorry” perpetrators of domestic abuse told to apologise by police A report by the Fawcett Society has found that police forces are dealing with domestic abuse cases by simply asking the perpetrator to apologise to the victim on their doorstep. The report described domestic abuse and inappropriate sexual behaviours in society as “endemic.”

New sentencing guidelines, which are to come into force in May, represent a significant change in the way Courts deal with domestic abuse cases. For the first time, guidance will state that domestic abuse in the home environment should be treated more seriously than those crimes committed by strangers. Additionally, the guidance will include recognition of differing types of domestic abuse, such as threats on social media.

If you are in dispute with your former partner or spouse or are experiencing difficulties in settling your separation or divorce you may consider that your only option is to go to Court. Before an application can be made to Court, you are required ( in most circumstances) to attend a Mediation Information Assessment Meeting (‘MIAM’.)

Unfortunately, for some, Mediation is not the most appropriate way forward as one party may have suffered domestic violence from the other party involved in the Mediation process. If this is the case, the thought of sitting in a room to try and reach an agreement can be very daunting.