An Australian lawmaker said this week that staying married is better for the planet because divorce leads the newly single to live more wasteful lifestyles.   more »

How children cope with their parents’ divorce is, to a great extent, down to how the adults handle the situation. Resolution – formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association – has launched an initiative called Parenting after Parting to provide advice and support for separating and divorcing couples. As well as organising workshops around the country....   more »

I have been an active member of Resolution – formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association – for more than 20 years and during this past year the organisation has been celebrating its 25th anniversary by turning the spotlight on to children.   more »

Valentine’s Day has to be one of the most depressing dates on the calendar. Not only is it potentially upsetting for people who are single, it’s a cause of stress for those who aren’t!   more »

Well, here we are at the end of January - a traditionally depressing time for many people. Christmas is a distant memory, the weather is miserable, spring still seems a long way off and, this year, the economic meltdown is taking its toll.   more »

I realise the title of this week’s blog entry looks a little strange – contradictory in fact – but there is method in my madness! Last week’s posting was about how the credit crunch is forcing an increasing number of divorced couples to continue living together because they are unable to sell the marital home and so divide their assets. I gave some tips on how to survive living under the same roof as your ex.   more »

The past week has been a hectic one at our firm: the combination of a stressful Christmas and financial problems has led to a flood of calls from couples seeking to end their marriages.   more »

Still feeling hung over from 2008? If so, you’re not alone. The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a time for over-indulgence, not least on the alcohol front.   more »

With just days to go until Christmas, stress levels will be starting to rise. Presents yet to be bought, family get-together arrangements still to be finalised and meal plans only at the drawing board stage. The logistical nightmare that overshadows many people's Yuletide can take away much of the pleasure of this supposedly peaceful and happy time.   more »

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a special present you could give your children or grandchildren this Christmas – a gift that would provide fun and laughter all year long and didn’t cost money?   more »

Gordon Ramsay may be able to serve up a gourmet feast on Christmas Day, but whether his Yuletide will be full of joy and peace is rather more debatable. The TV chef has been embroiled in allegations of a seven-year affair and one can only imagine the effect on his wife and four children.   more »

Whether this year is your first or your umpteenth Christmas as a divorced or separated parent, you may be viewing it with trepidation.   more »

Christmas might still be a month away, but if you’re divorced with dependent children it’s not too soon to start making detailed plans for how you will spend the Festive Season.   more »

A new relationship can provide a welcome tonic after the upheaval and unhappiness of divorce or separation. A romantic foray, however fleeting, may help to restore self-esteem, open up social opportunities and help you look more positively to the future.   more »

The Clap (gonorrhoea), the Pox (so-called great pox or syphilis), non-specific urethritis (NSU), venereal diseases, (VD) & VD clinics are all historic terms for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which have been replaced with more current ones – Chlamydia, genito-urinary medicine (GUM), sexual health clinics (SHCs) and GUM clinics. Even STDs have, in the last decade, been superseded by the term sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Why all these changes? Is it purely to confuse Jo/e Public and blind him and her with scientific jargon? Do they have any relevance to divorce matters? The answer is complex, but based upon a number of issues.   more »

When a client comes to see me about divorcing their partner because they’ve discovered he or she has been unfaithful, their pain is often red raw. They will usually dwell on the emotional and physical betrayal, and understandably so.   more »

For men.... Unexpectedly bumping into your ex-wife years after you last saw her can be an unsettling experience, particularly if either of you still harbours feelings of animosity or regret.   more »

For women... When your marriage ends, it may be your most fervent wish never to clap eyes on your ex again. However, if you have children, there are bound to be occasions - school events, graduation ceremonies, weddings and so on - when the two of you will be in the same room together. Difficult though such events can be, at least you have the luxury of preparingmentally for the meeting well in advance.   more »

There are no “adultery packages” on which to print the kinds of warnings you find on cigarette packets – but there’s reported evidence this week that playing around can seriously affect your health.   more »

A study by the Oxford Centre for Family Law and Policy (OCFLP) has found that the perception that fathers are treated unfairly by the divorce courts is wrong. The family justice system is not biased against non-residential parents, it concludes.   more »

Sir John Major's former daughter-in-law, Emma Noble, claims the former prime minister and his wife have little involvement in the life of her autistic son, Harry.   more »

The price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com has announced plans to add legal business to its online portfolio, which in these internet-driven, credit crunch days seems like a jolly good idea. Shopping around online for the best deal on products and services is obviously the way to go in the 21st century.   more »

The number of break-ups among couples in their 60s has rocketed to an all time high, according to the latest official divorce figures released last week. Despite an overall drop in the divorce rate, the “silver” age group was the only one where it rose among both men and women – from 12,636 in 2006 to 13,678 in 2007.   more »

You may be reading this blog after returning from your annual summer holiday feeling more exhausted than before you went away. Not only exhausted; you may also be gravely worried that your marriage is falling apart.   more »

According to a survey by Hotpoint, published this week, the kitchen – rather than the bedroom – is the source of most marital discord. Not only is it the busiest room of the house, it’s also the most stressful, with 85 per cent of women revealing that the kitchen habits of their men annoy them.   more »

I am often told that the reason I’m cynical about marriage is that I spend all my professional time seeing people who are going through a divorce. So on holiday in Norfolk this month, I decided to “family watch” in the hope of discovering that the majority of the married population is, in fact, happy.   more »

The Duke and Duchess of York do it and Hollywood actress Demi Moore even takes her new husband along when she and Bruce Willis do it.   more »

Summer is often a time for major family events, such as weddings and graduation days, but celebrations can be marred – even ruined – if divorced or separated parents are unable to put their differences aside for the occasion.   more »

The school summer holidays are finally here. Great news for happy families who can’t wait to spend some quality time together, building sandcastles on Cornish beaches or exploring the antiquities of ancient Greece. Not-so-great news, though, for fractured families who may be dreading the next few weeks, viewing it more as an ordeal than a jolly, carefree time.   more »

The Government has pledged to take action to stem the surge in knife crime that has claimed the lives of more than 20 teenagers in London alone this year, including forcing youngsters caught carrying knives to visit stabbing victims in hospital.   more »