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06 October 2019 / Graeme Fraser
Issue: 7859 / Categories: Features , Family , Brexit
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Brexit: a cautionary tale for divorcing couples?

Brexit is not divorce writ large but there are some parallels when it comes to brinkmanship & punishment, says Graeme Fraser
  • Like Brexit, divorce has traditionally been framed in similarly adversarial and belligerent terms and this has also led to counterproductive behaviours.

Brexit has been characterised as a divorce so often that it has become a cliché. Two parties are ending their formal relationship, with emotions running high and a financial settlement looming large. However, Brexit and divorce are not quite as similar as they might appear. 

Brexit is vastly more complicated than divorce. Divorce involves two individuals, while Brexit involves a supra-national organisation, 28 culturally-diverse states and a combined population of over half a billion people with wide-ranging viewpoints. International and domestic politics come into play in Brexit with no equivalence in divorce. The EU are concerned to discourage other member states from following the UK’s lead and must consider the Good Friday Agreement. Meanwhile, the UK Government must ensure any deal is approved by Parliament.

Brexit

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—Chris Air

DWF—Chris Air

Firm strengthens commercial team in Manchester with partner appointment

Dorsey & Whitney—Mark Churchman

Dorsey & Whitney—Mark Churchman

Private equity specialist joins as partner in London

Haynes Boone—Philipp Kurek

Haynes Boone—Philipp Kurek

International arbitration practice bolstered by London partner hire

NEWS
The government will aim to pass legislation banning leasehold for new flats and capping ground rent, introducing non-compulsory digital ID and creating a ‘duty of candour’ for public servants (also known as the Hillsborough law) in the next Parliament

An Italian financier has lost his bid to block his Australian wife from filing divorce papers in England on the basis it was no longer her domicile of choice

Reforms to the disclosure regime in the business and property courts have not achieved their objectives, lawyers have warned
The Law Society has urged ministers to hold a public consultation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the justice system as a whole
Ministers have proposed bringing inquest work under a single fee scheme for legal help and advocacy legal aid work
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