What’s In A Name?
In Scotland, you can call yourself anything you like. A name has no legal significance. The use of a particular surname can however garner…
Family Law
A Royal Prenup?
As a huge fan of both Prince Harry and the TV show, Suits, I was delighted when Kensington Palace announced the (long awaited) news…
Surrogacy: An alternative to the IVF Postcode Lottery?
News this week has highlighted that following a recent Freedom of Information Request, nearly 90% of NHS clinical commissioning groups (…
Re-registering the Hatches
A recent article in a regional English newspaper that has been doing the rounds on Facebook has caused some concern for parents who think…
New 'revenge porn' law comes into force in Scotland
New laws have come in to force in Scotland intended to make it easier to bring criminal charges against those involved in “revenge porn”.…
Who Would Volunteer These Days?
More specifically, who would be a volunteer at a children's club or an organisation like The Scouts?
It has been reported that 51000…
Unhappy marriage not grounds for Divorce.
The recent highly publicised English appeal case of Owens v Owens has created a media frenzy. Mrs Owens remains trapped in a loveless…
Domestic Abuse No Excuse
National figures show that women who are subjected to domestic abuse are five times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are not…
Pension Rights for Cohabitees Following Landmark Judgment
On 8 February 2017, the Supreme Court issued a significant ruling extending the pension rights for cohabiting couples which affects…
What Happens to a Will on Divorce?
Our society has changed over the past 50 years, from welcoming the introduction of same sex marriages and civil partnerships to…
Divorce figures at 40 year low as more couple choose to Cohabit
Recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics reveal that divorce rates have plunged to their lowest level in 40 years.…
How quickly can Non Celebrity couples Divorce?
Many people will have read this weeks news that Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie are set to divorce after only two years of marriage. It would…
Stalking: Dont let it follow you forever
Stalking is not a new concept. Unfortunately, this type of behaviour has been taking place for a long time. Recent figures show that the…
Domestic abuse: not always behind closed doors
Recent media coverage has highlighted the unfortunate situation of domestic abuse and the separation of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
This…
Family Law specialist Stephen Brand, gives evidence at Scottish Parliament on possible family law reform
Family Law Partner Stephen Brand was invited to give evidence about the Family Law Scotland Act 2006 and how it is working in practice for…
New Bill set to Criminalise the Distribution of Intimate Pictures
A new bill is currently proceeding through the Scottish Parliament which seeks to criminalise the distribution of a person’s intimate…
The 40 Year Itch
Divorce rate for the over 65's has doubled in the last decade. This week, the headlines caught our attention following the publication…
Care or Contempt?
On 27 March 2015 two social workers previously found in contempt of Court for failing to allow contact between a mother and her children…
Establishing Parentage and the Implications
In a recent landmark case, a university lecturer, who was deceived by his wife into thinking that he was the father of the son she gave…
Shared Parental Leave - delivering flexibility for working parents?
The Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014 (“the SPL Regulations”) came into force on 1 December 2014 and introduce a new system that…
Pension Freedom and Divorce
From 6 April 2015, new pension reforms were introduced in the UK, which gave some pension holders greater freedom over how they…