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11 August 2017
Issue: 7758 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Family
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No-fault divorce back in court

Family lawyers have hailed the Supreme Court’s decision this week to allow Tini Owens to appeal her divorce petition, in what has the potential to be a ground-breaking case.

The Court of Appeal refused to grant Mrs Owens a divorce after she failed to prove unreasonable behaviour, in Owens v Owens [2017[ EWCA Civ 182. Hugh Owens refused to divorce his wife, leaving Mrs Owen no option but to wait for a further three years’ separation.

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the appeal, Nigel Shepherd, national chair of family lawyers’ group Resolution, said the case ‘has significant implications for the future of divorce law in England and Wales.

‘The simple fact is that this case should not have been necessary, and only by implementing a no-fault divorce system can we ensure such a situation doesn’t happen again. Support for no-fault divorce is growing, from family law professionals, the public and politicians.’

 

 

Issue: 7758 / Categories: Legal News , Divorce , Family
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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

NEWS
Pathfinder courts—renamed ‘Child focused courts’—are to be rolled out nationally, following a successful pilot where backlogs halved and cases were resolved up to seven and a half months faster
The Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a £385,000 costs order against a father, in a case that centred on what is required to meet the threshold of ‘reprehensible or unreasonable’ behaviour
Centuries-old burial laws would be overhauled, under Law Commission proposals to address the burgeoning problem of shortage of cemetery space
The government has committed an extra £32m to women’s charities and services tackling addiction, trauma, abuse and homelessness
The Financial Ombudsman is poised for major reform to return it to a simple, impartial dispute resolution service
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