Tag: LAW

Cohabitation law: UK Gov confirm no change in sight

As the Government rejects the latest calls for cohabitation law reform, Victoria Cannon, Team Leader Partner in Stowe’s Cardiff office, looks at how the current legislation puts unmarried couples at a disadvantage.

Over the summer, the Women and Equalities Group from the House of Commons urged the Government to end “legal limbo” for cohabitees, by strengthening cohabitation rights and responding to recommendations made by the Law Commission.

Despite this, in November 2022 the Government rejected the call to reform law for cohabiting partners adding that they must first consider wedding and divorce law as a baseline before it can consider cohabitation law reform.

So where do delays leave cohabitees?

Cohabiting partners make up the fastest growing type of family, with over 3.6 million partners cohabiting in the UK. Declining calls to improve protection for unmarried couples – and keep step with those afforded to married couples – inevitably risks leaving

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My Parent Added My Sibling To Title And Then Passed Away. What Now?

Do you have a parent who transferred a title to property into joint tenancy with someone else, such as one of your siblings? Did that person provide little to no consideration for the acquisition of the property? Has your parent now passed away and is that person claiming sole ownership of the property? Does this affect your distribution under the terms of a will?  This blog will attempt to demystify what’s known in estate law as a resulting trust claim.

As a person ages, they may seek assistance to carry out their finances. For example, a parent may add an adult child to their bank account as a joint account holder or transfer the family home to their child. Upon their passing, this can creates complications. For instance, when the parent had other children who were not added as joint account holders or were not transferred an interest in real

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Can I Remove My Ex as a Guardian of our Child?

When it comes to contentious parenting issues, this is one of the most frequently asked questions family lawyers will receive.  However, this question is often rooted in misunderstandings about what guardianship is, who is a guardian, and the likelihood of guardianship being terminated.  In order to determine the possibility of removing your ex spouse as a guardian of your child, consider the below.

Who is a Guardian?

Guardianship is defined in s. 39 of the British Columbia Family Law Act (“FLA”).  This section states that parents are generally guardians of children after they separate if they lived together with the child.  However, if a parent has never resided with the child, pursuant to section 39(3) of the FLA, they are not a guardian unless one of the following applies:

  1. the child is the result of assisted reproduction as defined in s. 30 of the FLA;
  2. there is an
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International surrogacy – what you need to know

Stowe family lawyer Tamara Adams looks at the complex topic of international surrogacy and what British intended parents need to know.

Frequent misunderstandings of UK Law and International Law on Surrogacy

Surrogacy is a word that covers a variety of situations where, a woman carries and bears a child on behalf of someone else.

The woman who carries and bears the child is the “surrogate mother”. However, she can do this without being genetically related to the child, for example by using the egg and sperm of the intended parents.

Alternatively, the sperm or egg necessary to create the embryo can come from a donor and the embryo implanted into the surrogate. In such circumstances any resulting child may have no genetic connection with the surrogate mother or her husband/wife, (if she has one).

Global surrogacy laws or treaties

There are no global surrogacy laws or treaties, and this can

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A Money Life Coach’s tips for improving your money mindset

Money Life Coach, Fanny Snaith, joins us to share insight into creating a healthy relationship with money to help you reach your financial destination.

Where do you want to be financially?

Deciding what we want in life and setting goals is tricky when we don’t trust or believe in ourselves to achieve them. If you’ve recently become divorced or separated and found yourself a solo money manager again you might feel daunted by the future. Please know that with a little courage and a lot of curiosity – all will be well. Let me explain more.

When working with clients who want to improve their financial mindset, I invite them to see the money side of their life as a financial adventure. This can be a challenge if, like many, you feel managing money is complex or overwhelming. It can feel especially challenging if you’re partner has always managed your

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