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Author Archives: Louise Barretto

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The law on vaccinations for children

March 3, 2021 Speech Box

Disputes around whether parents have the right to prevent their children having the MMR vaccine have been helpful in establishing this. In case you were wondering prior to inoculating your children against COVID-19 there is quite a substantial volume of Read more …

Are some judges in the Family court out of tune with the lives of the people they serve to protect?

February 25, 2021 Speech Box

I’ve often been concerned that in cases of domestic abuse attendance at court can actually make the traumas suffered worse. It’s not the first time that view has been aired but it’s still the case that it’s a ongoing concern, Read more …

DIY is best left for decorating not divorcing

February 18, 2021 Speech Box

A report by Scottish Widow’s research team revealed that more than half of married people would fight for a fair share in any jointly owned property and, yet fewer than one in 10 claim that they would want a fair Read more …

Mediation – much better than ending up in court

February 10, 2021 Speech Box

“When I won the Golf Challenge in South Africa, I asked my wife if she’d like a designer dress or diamonds as a present?” But she said, ‘No, I want a divorce.’  “I said, ‘I wasn’t planning on spending that Read more …

Who has the right to choose their child’s religion?

February 5, 2021 Speech Box

The press – well, the Daily Mail at least – has been following Katie Holmes and her 14 year old daughter Suri Cruise through New York, slightly obsessed that the teenager is almost as tall as her mum now, and Read more …

Parental alienation and disputes about children

February 3, 2021 Speech Box

Parental alienation is a term growing in use and is being recognised more frequently than ever in cases involving disputes about children, writes Louise Barretto, Head of our Family team.  Parental alienation can occur when the child is psychologically manipulated Read more …

The number of divorces actually fell in 2020 compared to 2019 – for good reason

January 23, 2021 Speech Box

There’s a good reason why the number of divorces has recently fallen, writes Louise Barretto, Head of our Family Law team. According to data reported by FT Adviser the number of divorces in the UK ‘unexpectedly fell’, by 8 per Read more …

Supreme Court’s judgement in F v M (2020) shines much needed light on definition of coercive and controlling behaviour

January 18, 2021 Speech Box

I’ve written previously about the unsatisfactory way in which our courts and (some) professionals deal with issues of domestic abuse that do not involve physical violence.  These kinds of cases can often show coercive and controlling behaviour by one party Read more …

High street retailer Poundland launches a new range… of ‘divorce items’

January 14, 2021 Speech Box

No, it isn’t April Fool’s day, Poundland really has decided to cash in on January being one of the unhappiest months for estranged couples, writes Louise Barretto, Head of our Family team. (I’m sure it was absolutely not a smoke Read more …

As in life as in the Law – senior judge tells us all not to leave deadlines to the last minute

January 11, 2021 Speech Box

One of the unintended consequences of the Family Division being prepared to conduct so much of our cases remotely is that it has extended the working day, writes Louise Barretto, Head of our Family Law team. It might surprise many Read more …

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