Our clients come to us with a wealth of questions.
Our team have written a number of articles explaining different aspects of the law: whether that is on filing for divorce, dealing with disagreements over children, or settling disputes outside of court, to name a few, to help clients better understand what to expect.
- Carrie Rudge
In circumstances where a parent earns above the statutory child maintenance threshold of £156,000 per year, working out a fair and reasonable child maintenance payment could be challenging. Fortunately, the case of James v Seymour [2023] EWHC 844 (Fam) provided welcome clarity. Handed down by Mr Justice Mostyn, the decision
- Emily Boardman
Nearly a year ago the public law working group published their recommendations for best practice in respect of adoption. The part of that report that got the most attention was the chapter on contact and in this article I will look at what that report said and what it means
- Irena Osborne
October is Domestic Abuse Month. Domestic abuse has a huge disrupting effect on families and its effects can leave long lasting negative consequences not only for the victims but for the children of the family and wider family members. Disruption and the effects of domestic abuse can last for years,
- Beth Hancock
What is an initial viability assessment? If there are safeguarding concerns about a child, Children’s Services (sometimes referred to as social services or the local authority) start to think about whether there are any other alternative carers within the family network that could care for that child, if they can’t
- Ruth Hawkins
Last Sunday (5th October) was Grandparents’ Day in the UK. I am sure it’s mainly a day which has been manufactured by the flowers and cards industry, but it does give us an opportunity to reflect on the value that grandparents give to our society and to consider whether they
- Carrie Rudge
How is a business treated in a divorce? The simple answer is: it depends. The treatment of a business in divorce proceedings can vary based on several factors, such as: This article outlines the key steps taken to determine how business assets are considered during divorce. Step 1: Financial Disclosure
- Ruth Hawkins
“Once I was seven years old, my mama told meGo make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely” BH&O opened our doors 7 years ago today. And over that time, we’ve certainly made a lot of friends, and definitely never been lonely! We’ve been very fortunate to have a great
- Ruth Hawkins
Giving Children a Voice in Family Disputes When parents separate, it’s not just the adults who are affected; children often find themselves caught in the emotional crossfire or confusion. Child-Inclusive Mediation provides a way for your child or children to express their emotions, thoughts, and even to make suggestions, regarding
- Emily Boardman
I have recently represented two sets of foster carers in adoption applications that were opposed by the Local Authority. The first is unreported but the central issue was whether a young child, placed with the foster carers at birth, should remain with the foster carers or be moved to other
- Carrie Rudge
When people get divorced they usually need to decide how their finances will be divided between them. People are free to decide themselves what is fair (within reason), but people often rely on legal principles to guide them (ultimately if people cannot decide, either of them has the option to
- Ruth Hawkins
Are you struggling to agree arrangements for your children for the school holidays? The school summer holidays will soon be upon us, before we know it! School holidays can cause stress for any family, with balancing childcare, work, and holiday plans. But for separated parents, this is especially hard. The
- Clare Gardiner
Giving back to our community is a key part of life here at BH&O, and where we can, we like to offer opportunities to aspirational young lawyers. We have a strict +18 policy, due to the sensitive nature of the work that we do and the confidentiality requirements that come
- Carrie Rudge
Getting married is one of life’s most exciting milestones, but with that excitement can come questions about your financial future. While no one likes to think about the possibility of a relationship ending in divorce, prenuptial agreements (often referred to as “prenups”) are a useful tool for protecting assets and
- bh3ms0
The first meeting with a mediator is often called a Mediation Information & Assessment Meeting or MIAM. The meeting will generally last about an hour, and will give you an opportunity to tell the mediator about your situation, and the issues that need to be decided. The mediator will tell
- Emily Boardman
I have previously written about a High Court decision to refuse to revoke an adoption order under the inherent jurisdiction: https://www.bholegal.co.uk/revocation-of-adoption-orders/ As a brief reminder this was an application by an adoptive mother of two teenagers. The children had left her care (after many years) and returned to their birth
- Ruth Hawkins
Christmas should be a magical, exciting time of year for children. However, when their parents are going through a separation or have separated, it can also be a very stressful, difficult time, full of uncertainty, feelings of sadness and having to find their way through a difficult situation. If you
- Simone Brown
Solicitors often consider domestic abuse in family law matters relating to children, however advice relating to domestic abuse in financial remedy proceedings is becoming more prevalent, when there are allegations or concerns about financial abuse following a marriage or civil partnership breakdown. Research suggests that approximately one-third of financial remedy
- Ruth Hawkins
It is thought that something like 7 out of 10 marriage or relationship breakdowns can be attributed to the menopause. Divorce in the older age group, is increasing, with many frequently citing Menopause as one of the reasons. Some women have stated that their symptoms affected their marriage/relationship. Menopause on
- Ruth Sharon
I am a consultant solicitor specialising in care proceedings and children work. Prior to joining BH&O in 2020 I spent time working overseas supporting governments and judiciaries implement child protection systems. I discovered most countries have good child protection laws, but the laws are poorly implemented or not implemented at
- Clare Gardiner
We appreciate that legal advice in the UK can be expensive. Our solicitors’ hourly rates, range between £150 per hour, to £330 per hour, plus VAT. However not every client is charged an hourly rate. Some of our clients agree to one-off appointments to gain advice on a fixed fee,