During a divorce or separation, it is often extremely difficult to navigate arrangements for children. Arrangements may include how often the children spend time with both parents, deciding who the children are going to live with, or how the care of the children is to be shared. If there are difficulties in agreeing these arrangements, […]

There is no one, simple answer to this question, as it is very difficult to know what each person is entitled to as this depends on individual circumstances. The starting point for dividing matrimonial assets is 50:50. Matrimonial assets include things such as money (including savings and investments), property, pensions, businesses, vehicles etc. The Court […]

A government-commissioned review of the existing surrogacy laws has concluded that “intended parents of a child born to a surrogate mother should be able to get legal parenthood from the point of birth”. But what is surrogacy? What is the current Surrogacy Law in the UK? And What are the new surrogacy laws being proposed? This blog […]

It may seem odd, or even counter-intuitive, to be discussing separation and divorce at a time when you are finalising your wedding plans, but with around one third of marriages ending in divorce, statistics should prompt you to at least consider what the financial outcomes might be were you to divorce. A prenuptial isn’t just intended […]

Our Family Law team here at Thornton Jones Solicitors were really pleased to learn of further funding by the Government into the Mediation Voucher Scheme; a scheme which enables eligible families to apply for a £500 voucher to be used towards the payment for Mediation. Announced via a press release on gov.uk on 3rd June 2022, the press release stated […]

A legal guardian is someone who has the legal authority to take care of a child should anything happen to the parents. A parent of a child is not normally considered a guardian, though the responsibilities may be very similar. Typically, a guardian is someone (often a family member) who a parent has named in their Will […]

Once an application for a Child Arrangement Order has been made, Cafcass (Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service) will start making basic safeguarding enquiries with the Police and Social Services. All parties will be contacted by Cafcass for an initial discussion, usually by telephone. At this stage they will only want to discuss with you […]

To apply a Child Arrangements Order, the law requires you to first attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, often referred to as a MIAM. This is a meeting with a qualified mediator who will inform you about forms of alternative dispute resolution and ways in which to resolve your dispute out of the Court […]

Whether you are a parent or grandparent of a child, you are able to apply to a Court for a Child Arrangements Order (often referred to as a CAO). Typically, although not limited to, individuals apply for a Child Arrangements Order where either separation of the parents has taken place or there are obstacles being […]