Law & Legal News

Cohabitation and inheritance claims

An increasing number of unmarried couples are making inheritance claims, with the Ministry of Justice published data showing that legal action brought by individuals wanting a share of estates left by loved ones and relatives has increased four-fold over the last 15 years. 

Lawyers warn that the ‘common law’ myth is a big reason for this increase, as unmarried couples falsely believe they have the same rights as married couples, and therefore don’t realise they have to claim inheritance when their partners pass away.

A nationwide survey recently conducted by Stowe Family Law, revealed that 51% of Brits wrongly believe that couples who live together have the same legal rights as married couples, believing they are in a ‘common law marriage’. 

This false assumption – there is no such thing as a ‘common law marriage’ in the eyes of the law – has led to a

This National Adoption Week, we share insights into step-parent adoption during the pandemic from Stowe family lawyer, and adoption specialist, Shanika Varga-Haynes:

Step-parent adoption

It is difficult to find any official statistics on the number of step-parents adoptions taking place in the UK with the figures focusing on the number of children being adopted out of the care system.

However, as a family solicitor and adoption specialist, I have noticed an increase in this area, through both enquiries, and my caseload.

Adoption is a varied and broad area of family law, and all cases bring great reward and challenges. However, Covid-19 and the multiple lockdowns have brought an extra layer of complexity to these already complicated cases.

What is step-parent adoption?

Step-parent adoptions arise when the partner of one of the biological parents wants to adopt the child. The consequence of step-parent adoption is the other biological parent loses their