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.
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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,
- Ruth Hawkins
Are you struggling to agree arrangements for your children for the school holidays? The school summer holidays start in England & Wales very soon. The school holidays can cause stress for any family, with balancing childcare, work, and holiday plans. But for separated parents, this is especially hard. The best
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We’re three days away from a general election that is reportedly going to hand Labour a record majority. However, if previous elections are anything to go by, we’re not completely convinced by the polls! Our Office Manager, Clare, has studied each of the manifesto’s put forward by the three major
- Emily Boardman
A case has just been published in which I represented the applicant, an adoptive mother, who sought to revoke adoption orders made many years ago in relation to two children known as X and Y. The case was heard by Mrs Justice Lieven in the High Court and the judgment
- Simone Brown
A consent order reflects the terms of a financial agreement which has been reached between parties during a divorce. Once it has been approved by a judge it becomes legally binding. It could be an agreement parties have reached between themselves, or in mediation, or through solicitor negotiations. Why is
- Ruth Hawkins
This week it’s been Mental Health Awareness Week, which has prompted me to think back on my 26 years practicing as a family solicitor, and to think about how those cases might have had better outcomes for those children and young people. For most of that time, I’ve been a
- Ruth Hawkins
We have recently seen a significant sea-change in family law with the changes in the Family Procedure Rules concerning Non Court Dispute Resolution (‘NCDR’) coming into Law. NCDR will be at the very heart of each and every family law case. From Monday 29th April, there will be a much
- Ruth Hawkins
This week is Celebrate Neurodiversity Week, and we’re delighted to have our first Guest article, from Harcourt Chambers’ barrister Frances Harris. It’s so helpful to recognise that we’re all different, and we all have different qualities, needs, strengths and weaknesses. The Family Justice system is waking up to this, and
- Emily Boardman
In another article that aims to provide information for prospective adopters Emily Boardman sets out the challenges for a family when safeguarding concerns arise prior to the making of the adoption order. This article is about the removal of a child who has been placed with prospective adopters (PAs) before
- Ruth Hawkins
But what is family mediation? Put simply, it’s a way of resolving disputes which have arisen upon separation, or of deciding how to organise your lives separately. I believe that it can be an extremely powerful way of resolving these issues, be they big – housing, money, children – or small
- Ruth Hawkins
By Karen Newman and Ruth Hawkins Family Mediation week is taking place from 22nd to 26th January 2024. The objective of Family Mediation week is to raise awareness of mediation and how it can help separating families manage their issues constructively and non-confrontationally. At BH&O we have two mediators, our
- Ruth Hawkins
It is often frustrating that a domestic abuse victim makes the decision to leave an abusive relationship, to break the cycle, only to find they can’t, because of money. But a new government initiative has been introduced to give much needed practical help with this. From 31 January, victims of
- Emily Boardman
There are a number of circumstances that can call into question the plan for adoption for a child. In the second of a two-part series solicitor Emily Boardman sets out the legal challenges available to birth parents in England and Wales that can delay, or in rare circumstances, disrupt the
- Emily Boardman
There are a number of circumstances that can call into question the plan for adoption for a child. In the first of a two-part series solicitor Emily Boardman sets out the legal challenges available to birth parents in England and Wales that can delay, or in rare circumstances, disrupt the
- Ruth Hawkins
Our clients can find dealing with their divorce, or trying to sort out their children’s arrangements really stressful. Clients are often anxious about their legal costs – even where it’s not contentious or acrimonious. This might especially be true during a cost of living crisis, and where financial matters can
- Karen Newman
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 reformed the divorce process to remove the concept of fault. Many felt that divorce law was out of touch, particularly following the 2018 Owens v Owens case where the courts refused a contested divorce petition presented by Mrs Owens, on the basis that
- Ruth Hawkins
Don’t wait until school holiday are here before you think about your parenting arrangements and plans for the summer! School holidays bring a change of routine, and living arrangements that work well in term-time can prove inadequate or problematic in the summer. Karen Newman and I are family mediators, and
- Stuart Webber
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a legal commentator in possession of a Supreme Court judgment in a long running case, must be in want of a reference to Jarndyce v Jarndyce. That much quoted case created by Charles Dickens was said in Bleak House to drone on such
- Karen Newman
The Ministry of Justice has carried out an open consultation and supports earlier resolution of private family law arrangements. One of the options considered is mandatory mediation. However, there are organisations such as Resolution that have warned against Government proposals which could see thousands of families forced into mediation, regardless
- Helen Bishop
This lunchtime a further rate increase in the interest rates was announced by the Bank of England taking rates to 5 %, the highest they have been in 15 years since 2008. For anyone with a mortgage this is a worrying time, especially if your mortgage rate is variable or
