We will always discuss all of the options with new clients to see whether divorce is actually what they want. If necessary we will refer them to organisations such as Relate to see whether relationship counselling can help resolve their problems.

If the marriage is completely broken down then we will do our very best to help our client’s resolve matters in the most amicable way possible whilst still achieving our clients’ objectives. We also do what we can to minimise costs and we now offer a fixed fee divorce for £250 plus VAT to help our clients keep track of their costs as the process moves forward. We also offer legal aid subject to eligibility.

We also routinely refer clients to mediation only using court as a last resort. We find that if people can reach agreement on issues such as financial settlements and arrangements for children then they are far more likely to be successful. However, we do recognise that sometimes it is impossible to resolve matters in this way, particularly if the client’s spouse is unwilling to be co-operative and in those circumstances we able to offer full advice and representation in relation to court proceedings.

If you are looking for a family solicitor in Stockport then please contact us to arrange an initial appointment with one of our solicitors.

There were 119,589 divorces in 2010 compared with 113,949 in 2009. The divorce rate was highest among those aged between 40 and 44 and half of couples had at least one child under 16 living in their household.

The ONS was of the view that this may be due to increased pressure on families as a result of the tough economic climate. They noted that a similar trend could be seen during the last recession in the early 1990s.

At Higgins Miller we have seen a great many clients seeking divorces in circumstances where relationships have suffered as a result of financial difficulties in recent months. We are a firm of family solicitors in Stockport and we are able to offer specialised advice in relation to divorces as well as helping clients to reach settlements regarding their matrimonial finances and children.

Because we recognise that times are tough financially we now offer a fixed fee divorce to assist our clients who are not eligible for Legal Aid. We have found that clients have found it reassuring to know at the outset how much the divorce will cost rather than worrying about mounting solicitor’s bills.

If you need straightforward simple family law advice in Stockport or the surrounding areas then please feel free to contact us to arrange an appointment with one of our specialist solicitors.

Whilst we agree that family cases currently can take far longer than they should to be resolved, it is difficult to see how this will fit with the Government’s plans to cut legal aid in family cases leaving people to represent themselves. The bill relating to this has just been passes through the House of Commons and therefore unless substantial changes can be made in the House of Lords thousands of people per year will be left unable to afford representation by a solicitor. As we have said before this is likely to lead to a rise in litigants in person which in turn is very likely to slow down family justice as the court system struggles to cope.

Whilst we recognise that changes need to be made it does not seem that these two issues have been considered together and perhaps if they had we would have the opportunity of coming up with a far more user friendly and efficient family justice system which most importantly would be open to all.

The project provides a very intensive service and the workers are available seven days a week. They can help parents learn skills relating to matters such as routines, budgeting, getting to appointments and doing activities with their children.

The project is designed to provide targetted support to those who most need it to avoid the need for children to be removed from home.

At Higgins Miller we have first hand experience of the local Family Intervention Project at work. We think it is an excellent resource and would be very concerned about cuts to a service that is often invaluable to parents and children at their time of need.

Pierre Lagrange who is a Hedge Fund Manager and one of the richest 250 people in Britain has separated from his wife and divorce proceedings have commenced in the Family Division of the High Court.

  Mr Lagrange has come out as gay and has commenced a relationship with fashion designer Roubi L’Roubi whom he has been pictured with over the summer.

The divorce settlement due to Mr Lagrange’s wife Catherine is set to be the biggest ever in this country with Mr Lagrange’s personal wealth being estimated by The Sunday Times Rich List as £331m. Mr Lagrange has already sold the former matrimonial home, which was bought for £19m in 2004, for £90m. 

The couple say that the divorce is amicable and is being dealt with “with respect and love from all parties.” However, Mr Lagrange could find himself having to pay his wife up to half of his fortune (£165.5m), which would make it Britain’s biggest ever divorce settlement. The current record was set in July 2001 by the former wife of Boris Berezovsky, a Russian business man. She is thought to have received over £100m.

At Higgins Miller we are used to dealing with far more modest sums of money but if you are thinking of starting divorce proceedings please contact us to arrange and initial appointment.

It is however difficult to see how this position sits with the coalition government’s policy to dramatically reduce the availability of legal aid to those who wish to enforce their rights both to challenge decisions of the state and to deal with issues within their own family.

For example, under the new legal aid rules it is easy to foresee a situation where a father wants to see his children but is prevented from doing so by their mother for no good reason, thus breaching both the rights of the father and the children to family life under article 8 of the Human Rights Act.

This father may be relying on benefits or have a low income and may not be able to pay a solicitor to act on his behalf. He may be limited in his ability to deal with lengthy or complicated paperwork and may therefore find the idea of dealing with court proceedings without assistance extremely daunting. At the moment he would be entitled to free legal advice from a solicitor. The solicitor would firstly look at whether the matter could be resolved by agreement or via mediation to avoid the need for lengthy and costly court proceedings. However, if the mother continued to deny the father contact with his children then he would be able to make an application to court with the support of legal representation and would be able to secure a court order ensuring an ongoing relationship with his children.

If and when the new laws relating to access to legal aid come in this will not be possible. The father would not be entitled to the initial advice referred to and although he would be entitled to legal aid for the purposes of mediation he would have to contact the mediation service himself. If the mother refused to attend mediation or an agreement could not be reached then the father would either have to make his application to court himself or would have to abandon his efforts to see his children thus denying them a relationship with him as they grew up.

We at Higgins Miller agree wholeheartedly with the importance of protecting human rights. However we would ask Mr Clegg: what is the point in having human rights if they cannot be enforced?

Whilst we believe that it is best for a child to have a positive relationship with both parents following a the breakdown of a marriage or parents’ relationship we recognise that this is not always possible for a variety of reasons. In those circumstances we fell that it is important for single parents to be given praise and encouragement for the difficult job that they are doing and the stereotype of someone who relies on handouts and is lazy is often very far from the truth.

Perhaps the most sucessful single parent in Britain is JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. An article in the Telegraph this week reveals that JK comes from a long line of single mothers and that she is very proud of her status as a single parent. JK Rowling is also the president of the charity Gingerbread, which was set up to provide support to single parents.

If you are a parent who has separated from your partner and need assistance in any matters relating to making arrangements for your children please contact us on 0161 4297251 or via the contact us page. We are committed to trying to resolve any issues in these cases by agreement wherever possible as we believe that this leads to the best outcome for both parents and children. To this end we make extensive use of mediation services and only advise our clients to go to court as a very last resort.

We at Higgins Miller often advise clients who have problems with addictions to both alcohol and drugs. These clients may be involved with social services or they may be in a dispute with an ex-partner over their child.

We always advise our clients in these situations that the best way of dealing with their addictions is to seek professional help. Below is a list of local organisations who offer advice and help to people dealing with addiction:

• Community Drugs Team (CDT) 01612494000
• Community Alcohol Team (CAT) 0161 2494070
• Mosaic(Young people’s service) 0161 4805939
• ACORN 0161 4743141

If you are dealing with addicition alone we would urge you to seek the help of one of these organisations. if you need help relating to any family issues arising out of an addiction problem please contact us either by calling 01614297251 or via our website.

The report identifies that the current system run by the Child Support Agency is inadequate and leaves many children of separated parents without sufficient child maintenance and notes that many single parents receive either irregular or no payments of maintenance.

The writers of the report are of their view that separated parents should be encouraged and supported to make their own arrangements rather than relying on a Government agency to do it for them. It also raises the issue of collection of payment and urges the Government to come up with a more effective way of collecting payments from those who do not pay.

Whilst it is encouraging that the Government has recognised that the current system needs reform it is important to ensure that child maintenance doe snot become a casualty of the “Big Society.” Many parents seek maintenance via the CSA because they have no other option not because they don’t want to resolve their own problems. They may have tired for many years to agree maintenance payments with an ex-partner but unless their ex is actually willing to pay there is very little that they can do to enforce their child’s rights to maintenance. The state does need to provide a mechanism for resolving these disputes.

Whilst we dont disagree that fathers should take an interest in theirchild’s life we believe the contents of the article are very short sighted and ignore the idea that often fathers are not involved in their children’s lives for good reason, for example if they pose a risk to the child. We also know many many fathers are desperate to do the kind of things that David Cameron talks about but are prevented from doing so by the children’s mother for no good reason.

In a week when the Government may well announce sweeping cuts to the legal aid budget which will completely stop fathers from claiming legal aid to help them enforce their rights to see their children(and their children’s rights to see them) we would ask that all of the fathers who find themselves prevented from seeing their children make their voices heard. Please feel free to tell us your stories or better still contact your MP and tell them what the Government is really doing to family life.