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Gisele Pelicot is a name that, in certain circles, is associated with personal strength and resilience. She has recently emerged as a symbol of survival, particularly by those affected by Domestic Abuse. Her journey intersects with issues surrounding...
Exploring Family Placement Options in Care Proceedings: Special Guardianship Orders, Child Arrangement Orders, and Kinship Fostering When a child is unable to remain in the care of their birth parents, there are several options for family placements that...
It is not uncommon that following a breakdown of a relationship, that one party wishes to relocate (with their child(ren)) either in the UK or abroad. This can be a complicated and emotional process with legal implications if not approached correctly. It is...
A Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) is an official notice issued by the police for certain driving offences. Fixed Penalty offences , such as speeding, driving without insurance, using a mobile phone while driving, an FPN may be issued as an alternative to...
In most cases, the dispute between spouses can be resolved without an application to the Court to commence financial remedy proceedings needing to be made. Some cases though cannot be resolved amicably, so it is useful to understand what the court process...
What the 2024 Family Justice Council Guidance means for future Court cases Over recent years, the term Parental Alienation has become increasingly common, especially within Court proceedings relating to children. Allegations of alienating behaviours are...
There are various points to consider before gifting your property to someone else, including but not limited to: deliberate deprivation, gift with a reservation of benefit and potentially exempt transfers. What is Deliberate Deprivation of Assets? This...
Where the Court has been provided with all the evidence relating to a child’s parents in Care Proceedings and the professional assessments of them are negative, they can be ruled out as potential carers before a Final Hearing. This would happen at what...
As of November 2024, the Government has announced they intend to reform the social care system. New rules and regulations have been put forward with an aim to widen opportunities for families to remain together. To summarise the Government has proposed the...
Johnson Astills understand that property transactions, such as buying or selling a house can be a stressful process for any of our clients, but even more so for first-time buyers. Buying your first property is exciting and Johnson Astills aim to take as...
Divorce is a stressful period for anyone, but it can be made more difficult by the death of an estranged spouse. The final Divorce Order (previous called a Decree Absolute) is the document that legally ends a marriage. Until this Order is granted by the...
For all children, going into the Care system can be extremely daunting. Local Authorities do their utmost to ensure that children are placed with culturally appropriate foster carers, but this is not always the case. Can you imagine being removed from your...
What is Divorce Day? It is believed that couples are more likely to end a relationship after spending the festive period together, therefore the first working Monday of the new year is referred to as ‘Divorce Day’. This year, Divorce Day...
It can be a challenging prospect trying to deal with pensions in divorce proceedings. However, it is an asset that your spouse can make a claim over when considering how to divide the finances of the relationship. Separating Couples are therefore...
The involvement of social services in a family’s life can be distressing, especially when parents fear that their child might be taken away. The fear of having your child "stolen" by social services is a common concern, but it is important to...
A Section 7 Report is a court-ordered document prepared under Section 7 of the Children Act 1989. It is ordered when parents cannot agree on arrangements for children’s care, usually only if there are any aspects of the children’s welfare which...
If you are summonsed to court as a witness, it is essential to understand what this means and the implications of failing to comply. A witness summons can be issued in cases where your evidence is considered vital to the proceedings, and failure to attend...
If you have been caught sitting behind the wheel drunk or even near your car after drinking, you might wonder if you are committing an offence. UK law allows the police to charge you with being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle, even if you were not...
Yes! Whether you are under arrest or asked to attend the police station voluntarily, being interviewed by police under caution can be an intimidating experience, a legal representative can safeguard your interests, ensure your rights are protected, and...
On Monday 11 th November, ITV released a documentary entitled “Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors” which told the story of several domestic abuse survivors and detailed the Queen’s work to raise awareness about the prevalence of...
What is an Executor? An Executor is someone who is legally responsible for carrying out the instructions in your Will and handling your estate. Your estate is everything you own upon your death – this includes money, investments, property and...
What is the Autumn Budget? The Autumn Budget is an update from the UK Government about the state of the economy. It was launched on 1 st November 2024. According to the UK Government, the aim of the budget is to fix the foundations of the economy and...
Often drug and alcohol tests are ordered during the care proceedings process. Parents are required to provide a section of their hair which is tested to consider if they have been misusing substances. It has recently been reported that these results may be...
New legislation came into force on 25 th March 2022 that prohibits the use, while driving a motor vehicle, of hand-held mobile telephones or other interactive communication devices, when performing an interactive communication function. This widens the...
If the Local Authority is completing a risk assessment, they are doing so to determine if there is a likelihood of a significant risk of harm to a child. This could be due to concerns regarding domestic abuse and violence between parents, significant...
Whilst Christmas might still feel far away, now is the ideal time to give some thought as to how you might manage arrangements with your ex-partner in relation to where and when your child(ren) will be at Christmas. It can be stressful for separated parents...
A Special Guardianship Order can be made when the Court determines that a child requires a long-term and stable placement which offers more permanence than a Child Arrangement Order. The need for a Special Guardianship Order can arise from the Court deciding...
How did you support The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal last year? Did you buy a poppy? Johnson Astills are supporting The Poppy Appeal again this year by adding a ‘poppy’ to our logo on our website. The economy is still so...
I don’t own a home or have any savings, why should I make a Will? Whilst you may not own your own home or have significant savings or investments to leave to your loved ones in your Will you can still make provision for your minor Children when...
An Advance Decision is a statement of instructions about what medical and healthcare treatment you want to refuse in the future, in case you lose mental capacity to make these decisions. It only applies to refusing specific treatment, rather than demanding...
Amid the current whirlwind of controversial allegations that surround Sean Combs, the backdrop to his behaviour has a prolonged history of allegations of domestic violence and abuse dating back to the 90’s. In November 2023, Cassandra Ventura...
The law in England & Wales is clear in stating, if you are living with your partner and you are unmarried upon separation, you will not have the same legal rights available to a married couple upon divorce. This is the case no matter how long you have...
The process to split your finances from those of your spouse can be a long, difficult and emotionally draining process. For those who have been subjected to domestic abuse of any kind, the process can be much worse as they will have to try and negotiate an...
When writing a Will, the term ‘my child’ or ‘my children’ does not automatically include step-children, it only includes biological children and formally adopted children of the person making the Will. If you wish to include...
Psychological and psychiatric assessments are commonly ordered by the Court in Care Proceedings and are frequently requested by the Local Authority during pre-proceedings. However, these assessments are not the same and there are key differences that...
Where there is no evidence that a vehicle has been driven by a defendant whilst over the prescribed limit, a charge of drunk in charge of a vehicle may be brought. In order to be guilty of this offence, under S5 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the prosecution...
On 20 th September 2024, the Home Office announced new measures aimed at improving their response to domestic violence within the Police. These measures form part of Raneem’s Law, a legislation announced in response to the failures leading up to the...
I am being asked to provide friends / family members to put forward for an Initial Viability Assessment, what does this mean If you are contacted by Social Services and told they are initiating Pre-Proceedings or Care Proceedings, they may ask for you to...
Every year, World Mental Health Day is recognised by the World Health Organisation on the 10 th October. The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘ it’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace .’ This...
Avoiding penalty points on your driving record can be tempting, but providing incorrect driver details is not only illegal but falls under the serious criminal offence of perverting the course of justice (PCJ) . While dodging a minor traffic penalty may...
Johnson Astills are pleased to announce that we are taking part in Free Wills Month during October 2024. Free Wills Month brings together a group of well-respected charities to offer members of the public the opportunity to make simple Wills...
Johnson Astills understand that property transactions, such as buying or selling a house can be stressful and expensive. Conveyancing fees are the legal and administrative costs associated with transferring property ownership and will depend on the...
October typically welcomes the ‘spooky’ season and winter months, however it is also Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. This is recognised annually to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse and more importantly, how to recognise it, how...
If you are an unmarried couple who is cohabiting and upon separation you have a dispute regarding a property or land that is jointly owned or have a financial interest in, your principal remedy is to apply for relief under section 14 of the Trusts of Land...
What is driving without due care and attention? The offence of driving without due care and attention (careless driving) is committed when your driving falls below the minimum standard expected of a competent and careful driver or driving that does...
Threshold is an important document in Care Proceedings which sets out a list of concerns and is different for each case. This document is designed to prove to the Court that a child is suffering or is at risk of suffering significant harm. The Court will...
What is a Business Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)? A Business LPA is a legal document that allows you to authorise a chosen individual (an Attorney) to make decisions concerning your business interests if you are unavailable or if you no longer have...
In recent years, the Family Court has placed further emphasis on the consideration of post-adoption contact. This is where children who have been removed from their parents’ care and have been adopted by a new family will still have some form of...
What is Conveyancing? Conveyancing is the legal process that must be undertaken to transfer the ownership of a property. Should I instruct a conveyancing firm or a solicitor’s firm? Both Conveyancers and Conveyancing Solicitors specialise in the...
The legal troubles between influencer Lauryn Goodman and professional footballer Kyle Walker have been much reported in the media. This dispute involved an area of family law that we deal with at Johnson Astills commonly referred to as a Schedule 1 matter....
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