If you’re navigating child arrangements following separation, the family court system has fundamentally changed. Child Focused Courts now replace multiple hearings stretched across months with a compressed 12-week process that prioritises your child’s voice from the outset. Understanding how this new procedure works helps you prepare effectively and present your case within an unfamiliar framework.

Over 3.5 million couples in England and Wales live together without marriage, yet most don’t realise they have virtually no legal rights if their relationship ends. The government’s recent consultation proposes significant reform – but the law today remains unchanged, leaving cohabitants financially vulnerable.

When a religious marriage ceremony in England isn’t accompanied by civil registration, it has no legal status under English law. Understanding whether your religious marriage is legally recognised – and what protection you have if it isn’t – can be the difference between financial security and vulnerability when relationships break down.