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Jonathan Whettingsteel
    • Jonathan Whettingsteel

    • Partner- Head of Family
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Family Team Shortlisted for National Awards

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Tonight, our legal specialists in relationship and family law will be celebrating recognition for an incredible year at the inaugural ‘British Family Awards 2024’ as they have been shortlisted for ‘Family Law Team of the Year’ The...

Keeping Property Purchase Fair

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‘Deed of Trust’ vs ‘Cohabitation Agreement’ When a couple buys or moves into a property, the need for a written record of ownership and occupation is crucial and often overlooked. This record can be a ‘Deed’ or...

The rise of the 'Pup-Nup'

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What will happen to your pet? For most pet owners, their companions are part of the family, so if a couple separates, what happens to them? According to a survey undertaken last year by Statista, 62% of households (approximately 17.8 million homes) own...

Closing the Door on Post Divorce Claims

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‘Closing the Door on Post Divorce Claims’ The importance of a final financial order Glastonbury Festival is taking place this week, and, for Jonathan Whettingsteel, it is always a reminder of the case of Dale Vince, Wyatt & Vince...

"Shameful, disgusting and wrong"

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“Shameful, disgusting and wrong” The Law Society Gazette has reported an increasing number of people who say they were pressured by solicitors into taking out high interest loans to fund legal costs for family cases. After recovering...

Family Expert joins Campaign for Grandparents

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Family Expert joins Campaign for Grandparents Family law specialist and Partner of Dutton Gregory Solicitors, Jonathan Whettingsteel, has accepted the invitation to join a national working group that is seeking to introduce legal rights for grandparents...

No-Fault Divorce - What should we now expect?

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Today, ‘No Fault Divorce’ becomes legal. Whilst arguably the biggest change to Matrimonial Law in our lifetime, the big question is ‘What’s going to change?’ Partner and Family Law Specialist,...

Why we welcome No-Fault Divorce

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On 6 th April, the biggest change in divorce laws for almost 50 years comes in to force; ‘The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act’ and with it, the introduction of ‘No-Fault Divorce’ . Under current divorce law (which has been...

No-Fault Divorce - What we know so far

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After years of campaigning by many of those involved in the legal profession, including The Law Society and Resolution, next month ‘No-Fault Divorce’ becomes law. Having been sought for many years it was not until the case of Tini Owens came...

Giving Children the Best Christmas

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For a lot of people, Christmas is about spending time with family, but what happens when children have more than one? If not handled carefully, talk of Christmas can descend into conflict and arguments about where children spend the festive season. ...

The Evolution is Parenthood: Is the law keeping up?

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We know that modern families come in all different shapes and sizes, but to mark Pride Month, Family Law Specialist, Jon Whettingsteel considers whether the law does enough to support and protect LGBTQ+ families. When a child is born to a heterosexual...

The Misconceptions of Marriage

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Having practiced in Family Law for over a decade I have found that there are a number of false beliefs that people say to me time and time again, so in this article I am going to clear up some of the most popular ‘myths’ surrounding separation...

Separating Couples To Be Given Up To £500 Mediation Vouchers

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Under a new Government scheme separating couples can claim up to £500 towards mediation. This is in order to assist and encourage parties to reach an out of court settlement, although some have suggested it is also to take the strain off of the family...

What happens when parents disagree on vaccinating a child?

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‘Vaccination’ is a word that we are hearing on an almost daily basis at the moment, and whilst the current Government guidance suggests that children under 16 should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, this may change as more is known about the...

Surrogacy and Parental Orders - A Guide for the Modern Family

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The needs of families and their composition continues to change, as does the technology to support them. As a result, the law supporting these families also needs to change. There has been a continued and steady increase in the number of applications being...

The treatment of pensions on divorce: where are we now?

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The division of pensions during divorce proceedings can be a complicated and emotive topics for many. In order to offer clarifications and recommendations on the matter, the Pension Advisory Group (PAG) filed their ‘A Guide to the Treatment of...

Case Study: Neil & Neil - A warning on the implications of dishonesty and deceit in financial proceedings

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Although an extreme example based on the court’s findings, a recent Judgement delivered by Mr Justice Moor in the case of Neil & Neil [2019] EWHC 3330 (fam) serves as an example as to how the courts will set aside a financial order, even in part...

Divorce and Finances during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Your Questions Answered

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The COVID-19 pandemic is going to have long lasting implications on the economy and, as such, one of the questions that my clients are repeatedly asking me is whether they should change their course of action during the pandemic. Should they separate but...

What does the Covid-19 Lockdown mean for your family?

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On Monday 23 rd March 2020 the Prime Minister gave a historic announcement, putting the UK into lockdown. This was largely expected, but few had time to prepare, including many families with child arrangements. The government have since...

Children need grandparents

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When parents separate, there can often be a dispute about the arrangements for any children. Whilst there is a presumption by the court under Section 1(2A) Children Act 1989 that the involvement of a parent in a child’s life will further their (the...

Prenuptial Agreements: they're now worth more than the paper they're printed on

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On 28th February 2018, the Office of National Statistics published their findings looking at marriages in England and Wales in 2015. Of the 239,020 opposite sex marriages in England and Wales, 15% were remarrying. This means that in 2015 alone, approximately...