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Divorce & dissolution

04 August 2017
Issue: 7757 / Categories: Features
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It’s high time to modernise our divorce & dissolution laws & procedure, says Sarah Hughes

  • The law governing the divorce and dissolution procedure in England and Wales is out of date and out of touch with the way society has changed since the 1970s.

The law governing the divorce and dissolution procedure in England and Wales is contained within the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (re-enacting ss 1 and 2 of the Divorce Reform Act 1969) and supplemented by the Family Procedure Rules 2010.

It has long been recognised that the law in this area is out of date and out of touch with the way society has changed since the 1970s. However, despite numerous lobbying attempts by family lawyers and others, the law remains the same. Several procedural changes have been proposed, within the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and since, to try and modernise the way our legal system works. However, there is still a long way to go. This article outlines the recent changes and considers the further changes that still need to be

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Pension sharing orders (PSOs) have quietly reached their 25th anniversary, yet remain stubbornly underused. Writing in NLJ this week, Joanna Newton of Stowe Family Law argues that this neglect risks long-term financial harm, particularly for women
A school ski trip, a confiscated phone and an unauthorised hotel-room entry culminated in a pupil’s permanent exclusion. In this week's issue of NLJ, Nicholas Dobson charts how the Court of Appeal upheld the decision despite acknowledged procedural flaws
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
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