Family Law

Dear Sir, On the 24th May 2019, there will be a referendum to change the Constitutional provisions regulating divorce in Ireland. The proposed changes are:

The Law Reform Commission may not issue a report on whether pre-nuptial agreements should be given legal recognition in Ireland until 2021, according to reports. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has refused to commit to the introduction of a legal framework for pre-nuptial agreements until the law

Prominent lawyers calling for a Yes vote in the forthcoming divorce referendum will officially launch the Lawyers for Yes campaign at Blackhall Place this afternoon. The launch event will hear from Catherine Ford BL; Peter Ward SC, chairperson of FLAC; Eilis Barry BL, chief executive of FLAC; family

The Law Society of Ireland has announced its support for proposed constitutional amendments to remove the minimum living apart period for spouses seeking a divorce from the Constitution. In a major new report written by Dr Geoffrey Shannon, a member of the Law Society's family and child law committe

The Bar of Northern Ireland shone a spotlight on Northern Ireland's family courts at the latest event in its Leaders in Legal Excellence discussion series.

Clare Curran, partner and head of the family and matrimonial department at Belfast-based Worthingtons Solicitors, writes on the case for divorce reform in Northern Ireland. In light of the announcement by the Government last week regarding imminent reform to the divorce system in England and Wales,

Legislation providing for a referendum on divorce to be held next month has cleared both houses of the Oireachtas without opposition. The Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Dissolution of Marriage) Bill 2016 was approved by the Seanad last night.

A German woman has been told by a judge she will not be able to divorce her husband in England as she only visited London to attend the ballet and see an aristocrat friend, The Times reports. Clarissa Pierburg, 69, was accused of "divorce tourism" by her husband, Jurgen Pierburg, 73, an industrialis

Couples in England and Wales will be able to go through "no-fault" divorces faster under new Government proposals. New legislation representing the biggest overhaul of divorce laws in the jurisdiction in 50 years will be presented to MPs "as soon as parliamentary time allows".

Family law experts addressed a packed meeting at Law Society House on the private law aspects of the Children's Order. The four parts of the event, organised by the Law Society of Northern Ireland's family law committee, heard from a court children's officer (CCO), a contact centre co-ordinator, a d

Derry-based Caldwell & Robinson Solicitors has expanded south of the border for the first time in anticipation of increased legal activity after Brexit.

Legislation providing for the May referendum on divorce has been approved by the Dáil and is now set to be considered by the Seanad. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Culture Minister Josepha Madigan, a solicitor who has pushed for divorce reform, have welcomed the passage of the Thirty-e

Proposals to amend the Constitution to remove the requirement for spouses to live apart for a minimum of four years out of the preceding five before they can be granted a divorce have been published. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan yesterday announced the Government's wording for the amendment of

The Oireachtas joint committee on justice and equality will produce a report on family law reform following the last of a series of meetings on the subject. The committee heard evidence this morning from Dr Geoffrey Shannon, special rapporteur on child protection; Kenneth Burns, UCC senior lecturer

Ms Justice Tara Burns has been appointed as chair of the referendum commission for this May's divorce referendum. The appointment paves the way for the referendum to take place on 24 May 2019, the same day as local and European elections.