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16 June 2011 / Charlotte Posnansky
Issue: 7470 / Categories: Features , Divorce , Family
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Together forever?

Are Kate & William out of step with the majority of today’s couples? Charlotte Posnansky reports

Though the infectious romantic atmosphere created by the recent Royal Wedding may have given a brief boost to the institution of marriage, an increasing number of people are now choosing not to marry. Indeed, marriage is at its lowest rates since records began in 1862 as more and more people choose to cohabit instead.

Cynics often cite the headline grabbing figures in divorce cases and London’s reputation as being “the divorce capital of the world” as part of the reason for this decline as wealthy would-be-spouses seek to jealously guard their financial resources. However, that cannot be the full picture as a recent survey carried out by the matrimonial department at Charles Russell LLP showed that 56% of adults in England and Wales believed that the concept of a “common law” husband or wife has legal recognition and so gives right to a formal claim for financial support from the other in the event of subsequent separation.

There

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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