January is the busiest month for couples filing for divorce.  It's almost as though Christmas was the very last straw. This short article shows the peak times for a divorce.

A recent study showed that the busiest time for divorce enquiries online was between 12:30 am and 1 am. 45% of overnight enquiries came in between 10 pm and midnight, and 24% were between 3 am and 6 am.

Tracey Moloney, Head of Family Law at Co-op Legal Services, said:

"We are seeing more enquiries late at night - I don't know if it's because they just want to make some enquiries without their partner knowing or if it's because they are anxious and can't sleep.”

Harry Benson, of the Marriage Foundation, said:

"Having a smartphone by the bed undoubtedly allows us to execute decisions at unusual hours, for better or worse."

Are you thinking about filing for divorce or have any enquiries? Why not pop into our office for a free consultation, call today on 01246 555610.

Here at Vines Legal, we speak to many couples on a daily basis. Common questions people ask about are the rights of cohabitees in comparison to the rights of married people. People are often surprised by what the find out..

A recent survey carried out by Resolution showed that two-thirds of cohabiting couples in England and Wales had no idea that there is no such thing as a ‘common law marriage’.

Also, 75% believed that there should be greater legal protection for unmarried couples upon separation.

Cohabitees have rights, but what are they?

The number of cohabiting, unmarried couples living together has more than doubled in the last 21 years. There were 1.5 million in 1996 and there are now (2017) 3.3 million.

Four in five cohabitants agreed that the legal rights when they separate are unclear and 84% believe that the government should ensure unmarried couples are aware that they do not have the same legal protection as married couples.

Here are some of the examples of how married and unmarried couples differ when separating:

• If an unmarried couple has not taken the necessary steps to protect their financial positions when purchasing property then one could find themselves excluded from any share of the family home.
  
  
• Unmarried couples who separate do not have a right to have a share in their partner’s income despite the fact that they may not be working or have any ability to work.
  
  
• If a cohabiting partner dies without making a will, their partner will not be entitled to any part of their estate.

If you’re cohabiting and want to take the necessary steps to protect your future position, then call us on 01246 555610 to talk to one of our solicitors and book in for a free consultation.

CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) are currently trialling a “ground-breaking” process that will prevent parental alienation which means divorcing parents could be denied contact with their child if they attempt to turn them against their previous partner.

CAFCASS have recently realised that parental alienation occurred in a significant number of the 125,000 cases they dealt with yearly and is estimated to be present in 11% - 15% of divorces involving children. This is increasing.

As of spring 2018, caseworkers of CAFCASS will be given new procedures which will make clear exactly when children should be removed from the alienating parent and placed with the target parent. When caught alienating, the contact between the parent and child could be restricted or refused for a number of months and in most extreme cases, the parent could be permanently banned from any contact with their child.

Sarah Parsons, the Assistant Director of CAFCASS, has advised that their “priority is to preserve the relationship with both parents”.

Is your partner attempting to alienate you out of your child’s life? For help with any problems regarding your child or former partner, please call us on 01246 555610 for our friendly, helpful advice.

SRA stands for Solicitors’ Regulation Authority. The SRA are responsible for monitoring solicitors’ firms to make sure they are complying with the regulations and Accounts Rules (handling client money). They also investigate complaints against solicitors.

Some people advertise their services to make it seem that they are solicitors but they do not hold the required qualifications and the regulation of the SRA. Always take care to check who you are appointing. If they are holding themselves out as a solicitor, they need to be regulated by the SRA.

You wouldn’t go to a person holding themselves out as a doctor or dentist without the relevant qualifications and regulations so why take the risk with your legal affairs?

Vines Legal are regulated by the SRA, call 01246 555 610 for a free consultation today.

In 2016, a study was completed to find out which countries had the highest rate of divorce. Here are the results:

Maldives

The Maldives is number one with 10.97 per 1,000 inhabitants getting divorced annually. Most believe that the number is so high because premarital sex is taboo and so a lot of couples marry young.

Russia

Conversely, Russia’s divorce rate is 4.5 per 1,000 inhabitants, however most couples in Russia also get married young.

Aruba

Aruba’s divorce rate is very close to Russia’s with 4.4 per 1,000 inhabitants getting divorces.

Belarus

The divorce rate here is 4.1 per 1,000 inhabitants.

United States

And finally, America is number five with a rate of 3.6 per 1,000 inhabitants getting divorced yearly. Some believe this is because ‘no fault’ divorces are legal in the USA and so it is easier to get a divorce here than other parts of the world, such as the UK.

If you are going through a divorce and need some help, then just call us on 01246 555610 and we can book you in for a FREE consultation.

Halloween is finally here so here are 3 spooky facts:

1. A study once showed that Halloween can actually make children naughtier! According to APA (American Psychological Association) children between the ages of 9 and 13 wearing Halloween masks were considerably more likely than the unmasked children to take more candy than they were told to when left alone in a room with a bowl of sweets!
2. Jack o’ Lantern’s used to be made out of turnips, beetroot and potatoes not pumpkins, see the picture below to see just how much creepier these looked.
3. The tradition of dressing up on Halloween originated with the Celts during Samhain. During the festival they dressed up as ghosts and evil spirits to hide from real demons and spirits that they believed to wander and roam their streets.

As children love Halloween, it may be hard to sort out a Halloween plan if you and the other parent are no longer together. So we’ve put together a couple of tips and tricks to help you through this scary time:

• First of all one of the most important things is to discuss the ideas/plans you have with your ex and your child! This way time can be shared equally and plans can be sorted and agreed on.
• If you decide to spend Halloween together then it is best to keep the topic of divorce and separation to a minimum as this will most likely be stressful and uncomfortable for your child.
• This is a fact for all parents: always make sure to check your child’s sweets and treats and keep an eye on them if walking down busy roads!

If you’re going through a divorce or thinking about divorce then we can help! Come to Vines Legal for a FREE initial meeting – call 01246 555 610 to book in now!

Here are 5 unexpected facts about divorce from around the world:

1) In the USA, if one partner smokes, a marriage is 75% more likely to end in divorce according to statistics.

2) Couples in Republican states are 27% more likely to divorce than couples in Democratic states, however couples in Republican states do get married at younger ages.

3) Divorce is illegal in the Philippines and in Malta.

4) The divorce rate for couples over 65 years old has doubled since 1980.

5) Around 6% of Americans marry, divorce, and then remarry each other.

If you find yourself going through a divorce and need some help then just call us on 01246 555610 and we can book you in for a FREE consultation.

Marriages can break down in so many different ways, but here are some of our favourites from around the world:

1) In 1997, a California woman filed for divorce after 25 years of what her husband believed had been a good marriage. Two years later the truth came out, in December 1996, just 11 days before she filed for the divorce, she had won $1.3 million on the Lottery. Thereafter to keep the money all to herself she filed for divorce. When the truth came out, a Los Angeles family court judge ruled that the woman had violated state asset disclosure laws and awarded every cent of her lottery winnings to her ex-husband.

2) Earlier this year, an American woman left her husband of 22 years when she found out he had voted for Donald Trump to become president. Apparently, this "betrayal”, was the tipping point. "It opened up areas between us I had not faced before," she explained.

3) One Japanese couple who had been married for six years, watched the movie Frozen and he made the mistake of asking her, "Did you really think it was that good?" Well, she did, and the fact that he asked that question made her think about what kind of person he was.

4) A Russian man ran out of money while playing poker, so he bet his wife and lost. When his wife found out, she left him for the man who'd won her and her heart.

5) In 2001, a woman suspected that her spouse was cheating on her because their parrot started repeating several phrases of the husband’s telephone calls with his lover. The wife was visiting her parents for a full month, and when she got back, the parrot uttered words such as: “divorce”, “I love you” and “be patient”. She knew something was wrong, so she decided to divorce him.

If you find yourself going through a divorce and need some help then just call us on 01246 555610 and we can book you in for a FREE consultation.

  To get a divorce in the United Kingdom you need to prove that the marriage has broken down, that can be shown in 5 ways:

• Adultery
• Unreasonable behavior
• Desertion
• You have lived apart for 2 years and your partner agrees to the divorce
• You have lived apart for 5 years, even if your partner doesn’t agree

However, what about if there has been no wrongdoing by your partner and you just simply want a divorce?

Unfortunately in the UK this cannot be done, the law requires a reason to end the marriage.

However, many other countries have made no fault divorces legal! These countries include: Australia, Canada, China, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United States. New York was the last state in America to legalise no fault divorces, this happened in 2010.

Although no fault divorces would save a lot of people from unhappy marriages, this is something the UK are not planning on changing just yet.

If you have decided to divorce and are looking for advice on how to proceed, call 01246 555 610 for a free initial consultation with one of our experienced solicitors.