Some February Reflections

I noticed leaving the office last week that the days are really starting to get longer, and whilst it was not brilliant sunshine at 5pm it was still reasonably clear. You can also see some early spring bulbs appearing to flower in people’s gardens which are always something I look forward to after the cold and frosty winter days.

For many people the extra daylight and flowers are signs of optimism of warmer days to come and I think this is especially true this year after such a disrupted 2020 and 2021.

However as a family lawyer I recognise that not everyone shares an optimistic outlook this time around. What is a sad reality (as much as the longer days and spring flowers come around this time every year) is that every day people’s relationships and marriages also come under pressure. For many of those people this pressure can be overwhelming. I am writing this blog during the week of Valentine’s Day which (if you ignore the mass commercialisation of it) can be a particularly challenging time for those of us going through relationship breakdowns.

The best advice I would give to anyone caught up in that situation is simple – always remember you are not alone. There are thousands of people up and down the country or indeed across the whole world who are sharing similar experiences you are. You may be feeling pangs of uncertainty and worry about the future – that is perfectly natural but you should not panic about them: there is usually plenty of time to sort out any issues be they financial or children.

The second best bit of advice I would give is to go and see a solicitor or lawyer who specialises in this area – there are plenty of misconceptions about relationship and marriage breakdown out there so it is important to be appraised of your rights and options early on. For a married couple contemplating a divorce the legal landscape is changing significantly in 2022 – divorces are taking a lot less time to go through, and there is the momentous change in the law coming where “no fault” divorces become a reality.

There also seems to be a bigger focus on collaborative and amicable resolution of financial problems than ever before which is a really good thing since anything that can take the sting out of relationship breakdown has to be a positive.

Greens Solicitors has a well trained and experienced team of family lawyers who are more than happy to help anyone going through relationship breakdowns. We have fixed price initial meetings and fixed price divorce packages that are available together with competitively priced services for other areas of legal work such as child arrangements and financial arrangements. Please give us a ring on 0121 233 2042 or email me at William.ham@greenssolicitors.org and we can see if we can help.

William Ham
Director and Head of Family Department