The very latest news and views from Ashley James Solicitors
We hope you have all been safe and well during Lockdown. We are now following Government Guidance as we re-open. Please note that we are now operational from the office and open during our normal office hours. Please see our website for guidance on client visits to the office or call us for further guidance […]
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If you purchase a residential property between 8 July 2020 to 31 March 2021, you only start to pay SDLT on the amount that you pay for the property above £500,000. These rates apply whether you are buying your first home or have owned property before. Use our calculator here to work out how much stamp duty […]
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Cafcass have released new guidance designed to help welfare officers identify and assess cases which feature parental alienation. The guidance defines parental alienation as follows: When a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent. The guidance explains how Cafcass seeks to […]
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The Law Society have welcomed the government plans to reform the divorce process to remove the concept of fault. Many legal professionals feel current divorce law is out of date, particularly following the 2018 Owens v Owens case. The Ministry of Justice issued a consultation on its plans in September 2018. The consultation closed in […]
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Following on from our previous blog, the 7th January was dubbed as Divorce Day. “Divorce Day” is a term used by lawyers and law firms to typically describe the time of year when they receive a surge of new enquiries from couples about divorce. According to data analysed by divorce support service Amicable, more than […]
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As practising Family Solicitors looking at the trends over the years there appears to be a spike following summer vacation and the Christmas break. Looking further into this, it appears that troubled couples may see the holidays as a time to perhaps soothe relationships and address underlying issues by being away from their usual daily […]
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Over the last five years, the cut back on legal aid have been felt across the Family Court and on his final day in office before retirement, Sir James Munby, president of the family court division said: “Anybody who thinks that we currently have a network of courts which enables proper access to justice is […]
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The supreme court ruling in the Owens case means parliament must return to the legal reform that was fumbled a generation ago. Divorce is contested in less than 1% of all cases, and even here a decree is normally quickly granted. In 2016 there were only 17 hearings where a couple went to court to […]
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How does it work? If you are looking to buy your first property you can use the Government Help to Buy ISA to boost your savings by 25%. For every £200.00 that is saved the Government will provide a bonus of £50.00. The maximum the Government will pay as a bonus is £3,000.00 What to […]
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