About Family Law
In family law, half the battle is keeping on top of the latest case law, legislation, precedents and forms. Lexis+ Family brings everything together for you online, in one place. So you can get up to speed faster, with more time to spend on your clients.
Financial provision
Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of financial provision, from underlying principles considered by the court to applications under specific legislation. Not forgetting in-depth practical guidance on specialist areas.
Private children
Get stuck into all areas of private children law, from fundamental principles to evidence and procedure. Plus subtopics to make sure practitioners have the relevant practical guidance at their fingertips.
International law
Families are increasingly international, so practitioners need quick access to relevant practical guidance. We'll provide the information you need to advise your clients on the best jurisdiction.
Lexis+® Family
In family law, half the battle is keeping on top of the latest case law, legislation, precedents and forms. Lexis+® Family brings everything together for you online, in one place.
Latest Family News
Local Government analysis: The High Court dismissed the local authority’s application to deprive a 17-year-old child’s liberty for a further six...
The HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) FPL service team commissioned user research to understand how the Form C110a application journey may be...
Family analysis: In a series of three judgments, His Honour Judge Hess (sitting as a deputy High Court judge), in complex and high value divorce...
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has issued release notes for legal representatives and local authorities regarding provision for counsel to be...
This week's edition of the Family weekly highlights includes analyses of non-disclosure in the context of pre-nuptial agreements, a checklist for the...
Latest Family Practice Notes
Costs in family proceedingsThis Practice Note provides guidance on the rules regarding costs in family proceedings, the application of the Family...
Acquisition of parental responsibility by step-parents and othersThis Practice Note explains how a step-parent may acquire parental responsibility for...
Wasted costsThis Practice Note explains wasted costs orders in family proceedings including the relevant test applied by the courts and the required...
Application for decree nisi—nullity (pre-DDSA 2020)This Practice Note explains how to apply for a decree nisi in proceedings for nullity (application...
Assessment of costsThis Practice Note provides guidance on the assessment of costs in family proceedings, including summary assessment and detailed...
Latest Family Precedents
Letter enclosing finalised financial statement in Form E[insert date]Dear [insert client’s name]I enclose your completed Form E. Please read it...
Letter to the Pension Service enclosing either or both Form BR19 and Form BR20 requesting a state pension statement or valuationTo: Newcastle Pension...
Letter of claim—family provision claimDear [insert organisation name][PROSPECTIVE CLAIMANT’S NAME] AND [PROSPECTIVE DEFENDANT(S) NAME(S)]The estate of...
Cohabitation contractThis Deed is made the [insert date and month] 20[insert year]Parties1[Insert name of first party] of [insert address of first...
Financial applications to the court—client guide (standard procedure)This document provides general guidance regarding an application to court to...
Latest Family Q&As
Featured Family content
Procedure—Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989
Procedure—Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989This Practice Note sets out the procedural requirements in relation to an application under Schedule 1 to...
Applications under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Applications under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997This Practice Note explains the six criminal offences that may be committed under the...
Striking out a statement of case
Striking out a statement of caseThis Practice Note explains the court's power to strike out a statement of case. It summarises the grounds on which a...
The grounds on which a marriage is void
The grounds on which a marriage is voidA void marriage is one that will be treated by the court as never having taken place. The grounds on which a...
Sequestration (confiscation of assets) within contempt proceedings
Sequestration (confiscation of assets) within contempt proceedingsSequestration is a process for dealing with a contempt of court that would be...
Application to vary, extend or discharge a non-molestation or occupation order
Application to vary, extend or discharge a non-molestation or occupation orderUnder the Family Law Act 1996 (FLA 1996) a non-molestation order is an...
Notice to show cause applications in family proceedings
Notice to show cause applications in family proceedingsIf one party considers that an agreement has been reached (usually in relation to financial...
What is the procedure to withdraw an application made on Form C100?
Pre-nuptial agreements—client guide
Pre-nuptial agreements—client guideThis document provides general guidance regarding pre-nuptial agreements. Your family lawyer will be able to...
Steps to take after a client meeting
Steps to take after a client meetingFile noteA file note (also known as an attendance note) should be prepared immediately after the first interview,...
Is a divorce petition a public document and can anyone request a copy? If not, is there anything to prevent a party to a divorce from giving copies of the petition to a third party such as an employer?
Declarations of parentage—procedure
Declarations of parentage—procedureThe procedure for an application for a declaration of parentage is governed by the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR...
Working with counsel
Working with counselInstructing counsel to advocate on a client’s behalf should be a matter of careful thought and preparation. The role of counsel is...
Non-molestation orders
Non-molestation ordersUnder the Family Law Act 1996 (FLA 1996) a non-molestation order is an order prohibiting a person (the respondent) from...
Reports under section 37 of the Children Act 1989
Reports under section 37 of the Children Act 1989Under section 37 of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989), the court has the power to order an...
‘Associated persons’ as defined in section 62(3) of Family Law Act 1996 includes people who have, or have had, an intimate personal relationship with each other which is or was of significant duration. How is ‘significant duration’ defined and how long is considered significant?
Financial clean break orders in family proceedings
Financial clean break orders in family proceedingsDuty of the court to consider a clean breakAlthough there is no presumption in favour of there being...
What is the procedure to withdraw a divorce petition that has already been served on the respondent? Will the respondent be notified of any application to withdraw the petition and what does the court take into account in deciding whether the petition should be dismissed?
Associated legal terms
Anchor statement
An anchor statement is a statement within the collaborative process in family cases setting out the parties' aims and goals.
Fast-track (shortened) financial remedy procedure
The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2018, SI 2018/440 amended FPR 2010 with effect from 4 June 2018, primarily introducing new provisions as to ‘fast-track’ and ‘standard’ procedures in relation to applications for a financial remedy. The ‘fast-track’ provisions are expanded to cover a wider range of applications, including where the application relates, inter alia, to an application for a periodical payments order only under Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (MCA 1973), Civil Partnership Act 2004 (CPA 2004) or Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989). Prior to 4 June 2018, the accelerated/shortened procedure applied more widely to an application for the variation of an order for a financial remedy, while the fast-track procedure is now limited to an application for variation of an order for periodical payments only (with exceptions). The procedure for what was previously referred to as the shortened or accelerated procedure, and is now the ‘fast-track’ procedure, is also partially amended. The changes apply only to proceedings issued on or after 4 June 2018.
V v V order
An order giving jurisdiction to the court to vary child maintenance.
CONTACT US
