14-Thu-Jul-11
 We have moved
We are very happy to announce that we have moved to our new premises at 17 Shorts Gardens London WC2H 9AT. Our telephone and other contact details remain the same
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21-Tue-Dec-10
New decision on surrogacy arrangements that have been made abroad.
CGFL advises many clients who are seeking to formalize in this country surrogacy arrangements made abroad. A recent decision from Mr Justice Hedley highlights the changes to these applications following the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008: in effect it is easier now for the court to accept financial arrangements made abroad for payments to surrogates which would not be lawful in this country as the new Act means that the welfare of the child is the court’s paramount consideration, tipping the balance between welfare and policy firmly in favour of welfare. For a report see: www.familylawweek.co.uk
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29-Mon-Nov-10
New government scheme to tackle domestic violence
The Government has announced that a new pilot scheme is to be introduced to tackle domestic violence., A budget of £28 million has been set aside for this scheme which will give police powers to bar perpetrators of domestic violence form their home for a period of up to 48 hours. The court can extend this period to between 14 and 28 days prior to any civil action being brought. This also transfers the onus of finding temporary emergency accommodation from the victims, as used to be the case, to the perpetrators.
There are over 1 mil female victims of domestic violence in England and Wales every year. Overall in the UK more than 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. According to the Home Office,1 in 6 murders in the UK are domestic violence related.
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09-Tue-Nov-10
Haema Sundram attended the Annual Forum of The IACP (International Academy of Collaborative Professionals) in Washington DC.
The theme of this year's Forum was Commitment, Competence and Community focusing on building on the great strides that the movement has made in the US. The collaborative movement is a fast growing one with 650 delegates attending this Forum. Although the majority of the delegates were based in the US and Canada, there was a sizeable group from the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The attendees ranged from family and civil lawyers, mental health practitioners and financial professionals. There was a wide range of workshops on offer over the 4 days to develop
further our collaborative skills with distinguished presenters.
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29-Fri-Oct-10
Alison Burt is now listed in the top band of public law children’s solicitors in Chambers and Partners 2011
CGFL is pleased to announce that Alison Burt is now listed in the top band of public law children’s solicitors in Chambers and Partners 2011. She is described as ".. phenomenally industrious and utterly committed to her clients." Alison is one of just four London solicitors rated as ‘ Band 1’ for public law children cases. To read the full rankings,
Click here
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18-Mon-Oct-10
The Supreme Court will rule on the enforcibility of Pre-Nuptial Agreements on 20th October
The Supreme Court has confirmed that its’ decision in the ancillary relief case of Radmacher v Granatino will be handed down on Wednesday 20 October. The much awaited decision in this case will give guidance to practitioners as to the status and effect of pre-nuptial agreements. The judgment is expected to recommend what weight is to be attached to pre-nuptial agreements and will enable lawyers to advise parties more clearly as to what to expect in terms of the enforceability of pre-nuptial agreements. The same guidance will apply in relation to pre-civil partnership agreements.
CGFL will provide a brief analysis of the judgment to be posted on this website.
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29-Wed-Sep-10
Haema Sundram has co-authored an article on International Collaborative Research
An article on International Collaborative Research comparing the findings of research carried out by Resolution in the UK and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) has been published in the September 2010 issue of International Family Law. Haema Sundram co-authored the article whilst a member of the Research Committee of the IACP.
Haema will also be attending the IACP’s Annual Forum being held in Washington DC at the end of October.
Full details of the research are available from Resolution
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22-Wed-Sep-10
Peter Jackson QC appointed as High Court Judge
CGFL lawyers are delighted to learn of the appointment of Peter Jackson QC as a High Court Judge. We would like to congratulate him and send him our best wishes.
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15-Wed-Sep-10
Law Society challenges LSC tendering process
CGFL succeeded in obtaining a contract with the LSC to continue to provide publicly funded services, but we are concerned about the impact on the public and the profession of the outcome a tendering process which appears to have halved the numbers of firms with contracts. The Law Society has started judicial review proceedings to challenge the outcome of the process which will be considered by the Administrative Court during the week of 24 September. For the full story,
Click here
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08-Wed-Sep-10
LEGAL 500
CGFL are pleased to announce that they have been included in this years LEGAL 500. This is a directory of leading law firms throughout the United Kingdom. The publishers do extensive research and receive in the region of 75,000 references throughout the year from clients and other users of law firms before publication of their annual directory. We are identified as being a niche practice.
Click here to see the article
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23-Mon-Aug-10
Alison Burt appointed as Deputy District Judge
CGFL is delighted to announce that Alison Burt has been appointed as a part time judge, one of just 198 such appointments made this year. There was a high volume of applications for this role and the selection process was competitive.
Alison will sit as a Deputy District Judge on the South Eastern circuit following completion of the induction process.
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19-Thu-Aug-10
ONS figures on Civil Partnerships
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics this week shows that in 2009, 6281 same sex couples registered their civil partnerships. The division between male and female same sex couples was almost equal with 3054 female couples and 3227 male couples. The average age of women entering into civil partnerships is 38 whilst for men it is 41.
This brings the total number of civil partnerships officiated in the UK since the Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005 to 40,237.
In 2008 there were 180 civil partnership dissolutions while in 2009 this figure has almost doubled at 351.
CGFL has particular expertise advising on family law issues as it pertains to same sex couples whether it be dissolutions, pre and post civil partnership agreements, parenting and family creation arrangements.
Click here to see the article
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11-Wed-Aug-10
LEGAL AID CONTRACTS
CGFL are pleased to announce that they have been awarded a contract by The Legal Services Commission to continue with public funding work in the field of family law. 2400 firms in England and Wales had family law contracts but after this tendering process that has now been reduced to approximately 1300. A cull of firms that many claim will lead to tens of thousand of clients being left without access to a solicitor.
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20-Tue-Jul-10
Senior judge criticises growing trend of ‘divorce tourism’
Many of CGFL’s cases involve international issues and there is an increasing need to liaise with foreign lawyers to ensure that our clients have the best possible advice about the best jurisdiction in which to start divorce proceedings. Often the system in one jurisdiction will better serve the interests of one party, whilst another jurisdiction may benefit the other. Courts are however increasingly critical of cases in which the parties and their lawyers have adopted a purely tactical approach, often with both parties racing into court in their preferred jurisdiction.
In a recent case, Thorpe LJ has questioned this type of litigation and said ‘ In these sagas it is commonly seen that one sharp manoeuvre provokes an even worse response’.
Haema Sundram of CGFL encourages all of her clients to consider approaches other than litigation, particularly collaborative law and many of her clients find that in this way they can avoid the expense, stress and bitterness of the type of litigation which Thorpe LJ found so unattractive.
click here to see the article
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14-Wed-Jul-10
Law Commission announces new consultation on pre-nuptial agreements
Haema Sundram of CGFL has particular expertise in advising clients about
pre-nuptial and pre-civil partnership agreements. At present however it
is difficult for our clients to know with certainty that these
agreements will be respected by the courts in the event that the
relationship breaks down; they are taken into account by judges but are
not legally binding. Professor Elizabeth Cooke, the head of family law
at the Law Commission, has told the Telegraph that the Commission will
in the next few weeks announce new proposals for binding pre nuptial and
pre civil partnership agreements, which will be followed by a period of
consultation. Haema will follow the progress of those proposals closely
to ensure that her clients are kept informed about possible future legal
developments.
Click here to see the article
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08-Thu-Jul-10
The Irish Civil Partnership Bill
The Irish Civil Partnership Bill, which will extend rights similar to marriage to same sex couples, has pass through all necessary stages in the Dail and is expected to become law later in the year. Gay and lesbian groups are broadly supportive of the new law, whilst pointing out that the rights granted to civil partners under the new law fall short when compared to those given to married couples. See the Irish Gay and Lesbian Equailty Netwrro for more information: www.glen.ie
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29-Tue-Jun-10
High Court Judge suggests caselaw on international relocation is ripe for review
Our specialist children lawyers are often asked to advise parents who are dealing with the possibility of children being moved permanently to another country. For some time there has been pressure on the courts to look again at the existing decisions in this area, which have often suggested that the courts should focus on the implications for the parent who is seeking to take the child to another country if permission is refused. The courts are at present bound by two Court of Appeal decisions, Poel and Payne.
Many legal and parents’ groups have felt that this approach does not attach enough importance to the effect on the children’s relationship with the parent who is left behind. In a recent decision. Mr Justice Mostyn has reviewed the existing research from this country and abroad on this issue and said: "In my view (for what it is worth) a review of the ideology of Poel/Payne by the Supreme Court is urgently needed, where the "emerging body of significant research in various jurisdictions" would be brought into account." Read the judgment here
This decision must increase the likelihood of a review by the Supreme Court in the near future of the existing decisions in this complex area of law.
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21-Mon-Jun-10
Special Guardianship Allowances
CGFL have issued proceedings in the High Court for a Judicial Review against a decision made by a local authority to refuse to pay foster care allowances to an aunt who is caring for her two nieces under a Special Guardianship Order. CGFL is arguing that the non-payment of these allowances discriminate against a family member caring for children under these circumstances. Deirdre Fottrell of Coram Chambers has been instructed by Simon Green.
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14-Mon-Jun-10
"I’ve got parents who love me. It doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman"
CGFL advises many couples in same sex relationships who wish to create a family, whether by assisted conception or surrogacy. Those clients may be interested in groundbreaking research from Stonewall which examines the experience of children brought up by gay and lesbian parents. Interestingly most of the 80 children and young people interviewed did not see their own families as particularly unusual nor were they themselves confused about their families – several said they enjoyed feeling special. Many children however had experienced homophobic comments from other children in school, even in primary school and the report suggests that many schools have a long way to go in addressing this issue.
See the article here.
www.stonewall.org.uk
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16-Fri-Apr-10
New parenthood provisions for same sex couples
Covent Garden Family Law are delighted to have advised two women who are registered as domestic partners in the State of New York, who have successfully registered both their names on their child’s birth certificate as ‘mother’ and ‘parent’.
This birth registration, naming the two women as the child’s legal parents, is the first such application made in The City of Westminster under the new legislation.
They were guided through the new parenthood provisions introduced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and the conditions necessary for the recognition of overseas relationships under the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Haema Sundram and Alison Burt have both got particular expertise in this complex and cutting edge area of law.
Click here for more information
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