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17 February 2023 / Mark Pawlowski
Issue: 8013 / Categories: Features , Jurisdiction , Divorce
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Marital validity & conflict

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An overseas marriage in the English courts: Mark Pawlowski provides an insight into the complexity of private international law

The story in Taczanowska (Otherwise Roth) v Taczanowski (Lystek cited) [1957] P 301, [1956] 3 All ER 457 begins with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. Many Poles were deported to German forced labour camps.

A Roman romance 

Krystyna Roth, one such Pole, was deported to Germany, but escaped and journeyed through Europe and, in the winter of 1945, found herself in Italy. As a civilian refugee, she went to Rome to an Italian convent where she resumed her education. Many Poles were active in the war outside Poland. The Polish government in exile established itself in London. Thousands of Polish servicemen escaped from Poland and fought on the Italian front.

On 16 July 1946, Krystyna married Stanislaw Taczanowski in the Parish Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome. They were both Polish nationals, the bridegroom being an officer in the Polish 2nd Corps serving in Italy, in the course

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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