Employers will welcome new guidance from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD - the professional body for HR and people development) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which aims to help them deal with employees suffering domestic abuse.

Divorce is often portrayed by the media as unpleasant, nasty and sour. However we believe that with the right advice, support and guidance, a ‘good divorce’, based on mutual cooperation, fairness and amicability, can be achieved.

The pronouncement of Decree Absolute legally ends a marriage in England and Wales, but unless you resolve the financial consequences of the marriage breakdown, your former spouse may be able to make a future financial claim against you, even if you acquire the asset after your divorce.

At Ramsdens, we’ve seen a vast increase in new enquiries since the country first went into lockdown in March this year. Like everyone, we have had to adapt to a new virtual way of working whilst in a pandemic which has included the majority of our team adapting to working from home and our 13 offices across West Yorkshire being closed to the public.

The Ramsdens Family department are showing their support for Good Divorce Week 2020 by offering free 30 minute virtual advice sessions to families.

Employers should note that Acas early conciliation timescales are changing from 1 December 2020.

Ramsdens corporate team, led by Adam Cockroft recently acted for a number of individual sellers in connection with the sale of their shares in a property development and management company to a connected but separately represented third party.

Recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics show there were 107,599 opposite-sex divorces in 2019, an increase from 90,871 in 2018. There were also 822 same-sex divorces, compared to 428 in 2018.