My latest Divorce Clinic on This Morning
My latest Divorce Clinic took place on ITV This Morning today. Once again there were some smart questions from viewers.
One caller, who sought advice about her responsibility for her former husband’s legal costs, highlighted the dangers of signing legal papers without proper legal advice. Another question came from a bride of six months, who sought an annulment. In England and Wales, you cannot petition for divorce within the first 12 months of marriage, but in certain situations an annulment can be granted by the court.
We also discussed last week’s launch by the Law Commission of its supplementary consultation on needs and non-matrimonial property. The paper is 131 pages long and it examines some complex issues in detail. There are plenty of questions, no easy answers and the paper is a lengthy read for lawyers, let alone those without legal training! I explained in a recent post why I think the flexibility built into current law is a strength, not a flaw. However the programme hosts, Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, were surprised to discover that family law is not as “black and white” as you might expect!
There were plenty of callers in the queue and I am sorry that we weren’t able answer everybody’s questions in the time available. It makes me realise, more than ever, just how many people are without access to legal advice and how important this clinic is. I will keep doing my best – but in the meantime, I will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible. If you have a question, you are welcome to contact me or to leave a comment below.
You can watch today’s Divorce Clinic on ITV This Morning here.
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3 Comments
JamesB on September 21, 2012 at 4:48 pm
An excellent performance, you held my attention much more then the other 2.
Your point about varying the split from 50:50 according to discretion and need did confuse me though. I have had it explained to me many times and read about it and I still don’t understand how varying from 50:50 can possibly be seen as fair.
Marilyn Stowe on September 24, 2012 at 11:39 am
Thanks very much. Much appreciated.
Marilyn
Graham on September 21, 2012 at 11:07 pm
The bit about how to regard the matter, as litigation, a commercial matter, objectively, was brilliant.