Family Law

Family lawyer Sarah Elliott of Worthingtons Solicitors examines the law when unmarried families break up. With Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds becoming the first unmarried couple to enter 10 Downing Street, this reflects a growing trend, with cohabiting families becoming the fastest gr

Controversial legislative plans to give adopted people access to their birth records have been dropped due to a failure to reach agreement with stakeholders. In a statement, Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone said the decision was taken following a period of "intensive briefings and consultati

A new coalition of legal bodies, charities and NGOs has launched a campaign calling on the Government to immediately allocate the funding necessary to develop a dedicated family law courts complex at the Hammond Lane site. The "Courting Disaster" campaign involves the Law Society of Ireland, The Bar

Legislation to reduce the requirement for spouses to live apart for a minimum of four years out of the preceding five before they can be granted a divorce will be commenced on Sunday. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan today announced that he has signed a commencement order to bring Parts 1 and 2 of

The chairperson of the Legal Aid Board has backed calls for fundamental and ambitious reform to the family law system. Philip O'Leary said he supported the findings of the Oireachtas justice committee's report on the family law system, which chairman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said ma

Far too many people are representing themselves in family law proceedings, legal rights group FLAC has warned. The Oireachtas justice committee yesterday published its report on the family law system, which chairman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said made “abundantly clear that the

The Government has come under increasing pressure to progress legislation and funding to deliver a major overhaul of the family law system. In a report published today, the Oireachtas justice committee has called for the Government to give urgent priority to promised legislation for the establishmen

Legislation to reduce the minimum period that couples seeking a divorce are required to live apart has passed all stages in the Oireachtas. The Family Law Bill 2019 was introduced following the May referendum in which the Government’s proposal to amend Articles 41.3.2 and 41.3.3 of the Constit

A marriage is not void in law just because the Minister of Justice has found it to be a marriage of convenience, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has told the Supreme Court. The human rights watchdog yesterday appeared before the court as an amicus curiae in a case expected to clarify

Legislation to reduce the requirement for spouses to live apart for a minimum of four years out of the preceding five before they can be granted a divorce has been published. The Family Law Bill 2019 reduces the minimum living apart period specified in the Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 to two years

The family justice system in Ireland is "at a crisis point" with reform frustrated by poor facilities, ineffective use of funding and an overly-adversarial approach to cases, the Legal Aid Board’s annual conference has heard. This year’s event, titled ‘Change is coming - Reform of

Scottish legal academics are developing a board game to help the public negotiate the complex legal world of marriage.

A couple whose marriage was annulled by the Greek courts because the husband had previously been married to the wife's sister suffered a violation of their article 12 rights, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. Applicants Georgios Theodorou and Sophia Tsotsorou married in 2005, fou

The number of humanist wedding ceremonies in Northern Ireland has risen dramatically, with three times as many humanist ceremonies expected to take place this year as were held last year. Humanist weddings have been legally valid and binding in Northern Ireland since last summer, when the Court of A

Allegations of perjury during in camera hearings can be investigated by gardaí and prosecuted by them, the High Court has confirmed in a declaration with particular significance for family law and child care proceedings. Solicitor Clifford Sullivan of Co Wicklow firm LawPlus Solicitors told I