Case Report: Varying a joint lives divorce settlement to achieve a clean break

Having agreed all the arrangements for accommodation, children and finances after a divorce, most people are able to move on to build a new life and become self-sufficient without having to revisit the financial settlement.  However, there are occasions where ...

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Child maintenance responsibilities enforced in China with a Schedule 1 application

Case report: Confidential Some parents will do anything to try and avoid paying their share of child maintenance, even moving to the other side of the world.  But this does not mean that they are beyond the reach of English ...

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Court of Protection gives former refugee the right to refuse nutrition treatment

Case report: [2020] EWCOP 37. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership and North Bristol NHS Trust v WA and DT A young man who has been refusing food and drink, in protest at the Home Office’s change to his date ...

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FGM order confirms ‘a child’s welfare is paramount’ in Court of Appeal case where schoolgirl was at risk of deportation

Case report: [2020] EWCA Civ 731. Kate Hammond has helped secure the welfare of a Suffolk schoolgirl in a landmark case where the local authority’s petition for a female genital mutilation (FGM) protection order was disputed by the Home Office.  ...

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Family court cannot interfere with decision of immigration tribunal in FGM case

Case report: [2020] EWHC 323 (Fam). One reason for seeking asylum in the UK might be to escape harmful practices, such as the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM).  But how does the law in regard to FGM interact with ...

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FGM case raises question of interplay between family and immigration courts

Case report:  [2019] EWHC 2475 (Fam). Partner Kate Hammond, an expert in child care law, has been representing a child M in an application for a female genital mutilation (FGM) protection order made by the local authority prior to the ...

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Community care and moving on after mental health problems

Feeling good in your own home is an important element of anyone’s wellbeing, and this is particularly important when recovering from a mental health condition. Andrew Bowmer and Jasper Blumenthal from our community care team recently helped a lady to obtain suitable ...

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The (Ghanaian) family ties that bind

Case report: [2018] EWHC 3625 (Fam). When considering access to justice, it is important that each member of a family which is involved in legal proceedings has proper representation. Partner Kate Hammond recently acted pro bono for a Ghanaian couple ...

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Southwark council can no longer avoid HMO rules when housing families in shared accommodation

Destitute families placed in shared houses and flats by social services should see their living conditions improved following a judicial review in the High Court. The case described below will mainly affect families who, because of their immigration status, cannot ...

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