Family Law news

A quick round up of some of the most interesting bits of news from the last week: 

1. The Domestic Abuse bill has finally been approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and was given Royal Assent on 29 April. 

As explained by gov.uk:

For the first time in history there will be a wide-ranging legal definition of domestic abuse which incorporates a range of abuses beyond physical violence, including emotional, coercive or controlling behaviour, and economic abuse. .. In recent weeks, the government has added new measures to the bill to further strengthen the law, including creating a new offence of non-fatal strangulation, extending an offence to cover the threat to disclose intimate images, and clarifying the law to further clamp down on claims of “rough sex gone wrong” in cases involving death or serious injury. ”

 2. Marriage certificates are entering the 21st Century. Finally(!) the name and occupation of the bride and groom’s mothers will be included.  

3. Bill and Melinda Gates are separating after 27 years of marriage. It feels a little crass and somewhat voyeuristic to mention the end of someone else’s relationship, just because they are in the public eye. However, I think it’s a great example that relationship breakdown can happen to anyone, at any age.