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Welcome to the latest edition of Ramsdens email newsletter, familyinsite.

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If you'd like to contact our family team call 01484 821 500 or email family@ramsdens.co.uk.

Visit our website to find out more about our services and team.http://www.ramsdens.co.uk

Ramsdens Solicitors have launched a specialist service within their family practice, Family Law Mediation.

The new service will be led by Helen Thewlis, Head of Family at Ramsdens.  Helen is a trained Family Law Mediator and is also a member of Resolution and the Law Society’s Family Panel.

The aim of the service is to help divorcing couples avoid nasty, expensive and protracted courtroom battles. Instead, the lawyer mediator sits down with both, discusses the likely outcome of the case if it did go to court, and helps them to reach formal agreement.

The service also offers help with pre-nuptial agreements, grandparents' rights, cohabitation agreements and child contact disputes.

Helen Thewlis comments: “We have set up our Family Law Mediation service because we believe that couples (where possible) want to split amicably and ultimately don’t want to settle their differences in a courtroom.  And in the  current economic climate with pressure on household finances people are looking to save money.  Family mediation allows for all of this.

Family mediation is a voluntary process - you choose to attend because you want to deal with the unresolved issues between you and your former partner…..in a non-adversarial way and our Family Law Mediation service is complemented by the experience and expertise of our team. ”
 

If you would like to speak to Helen call 01484 821 500 or email helen.thewlis@ramsdens.co.uk.

Hazel Blears, the former Home Office minister, is leading a campaign for a change in the law which would enable the police to warn women if a new partner had a history of domestic violence.

Clare Wood was murdered in 2009. She met George Appleton, her killer, through Facebook but did not know that he had a record of domestic violence against previous partners.

Ms Blears said: ''Women in Clare's situation are often unaware of their partner's previous relationships and this can mean they start a relationship with someone with no idea if they have a violent past.

''Clare's tragic death shows how vulnerable women aren't always protected under the current law, and until women are given the right to know if their partner has a history of serial domestic abuse, they can't be sure of the risk that they face.

''By changing the law we can empower women so that they can take informed action about their relationship and give them the chance to protect themselves and prevent domestic abuse from happening before it begins.''

What do you think…?  Click here to take part in our poll and we’ll feedback your response in our next newsletter.
 

Contact Ramsdens specialist Domestic Violence team led by Rebecca Hoult at Ramsdens. Rebecca specialises in Domestic Violence and can give you immediate advice on sources of help, call 01484 821 573 or email Rebecca.hoult@ramsdens.co.uk.

More and more civil partnerships are ending prematurely, new figures have shown, with 509 civil partnership dissolutions granted in the UK in 2010, compared with 353 in 2009.

Official figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were 472 civil partnership dissolutions in England and Wales last year, while 34 and 3 took place in Scotland and Wales respectively.

According to the ONS, the 44% increase on 2009, was to be expected as the number of civil partners living in the UK continues to increase.

Civil partnerships formed by same-sex couples in the UK reached 6,385 in 2010 compared with 6,281 in 2009, while the total number of civil partnerships formed in the UK since the Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005, up to the end of 2010, is 46,622.

In 2010, 49% of civil partnerships formed in the UK were male compared with 51% in 2009 and this is the first year that more females than males have formed civil partnerships in the UK.

Need advice on getting a civil partnership dissolution?  Contact Jane Auty on 01484 821 542 or email jane.auty@ramsdens..co.uk and we’ll make sure your separation is handled with the utmost care and professionalism.

Family law reforms, which will increase a child’s say in separation proceedings, have been given a mixed review by experts.

The Family Justice Review, recently established by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, has been instructed with amending current family law legislation with a view to giving children a greater say should their parents separate.

David Norgrove, Chairman of the Family Justice Review, stated that it is "vital" for offspring to be able to participate in this process as they are "the most important people in the family justice system".

However, the move has been criticised by Judy Reith, Coach at online resource Parenting People, who feels it is crucial for each child to be judged on their individual circumstances.

"It very much depends on how young they are or what the age range is of the children ... they need to be heard but not made to feel responsible in any way," she added.

Parents who are going through a separation under current laws or otherwise have been advised to seek expert legal advice before making any major decision.  Divorce and separations are not a pleasant time for any parties involved, but making sure all legal affairs are properly taken care of can save any unneeded duress further down the line. 

Contact our expert solicitors today for any family law advice.  Call 01484 821 500 or email family@ramsdens.co.uk.

Stay in touch with the Family team at Ramsdens by subscribing to the Ramsdens Famil blog and also follow Ramsdens Twitter.

If you need advice on any family legal issue email family@ramsdens.co.uk or call the Family Helpline on 08000 147720.

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