Grant Thornton’s Sally Longworth assesses the mood among divorce lawyers
MARRIED couples could soon be outnumbered by a generation who will never tie the knot.
With the number of cohabiting couples set to double in the next 25 years, it’s widely accepted that this whole area of law needs to be revisited.
And yet the Government continues to back away from the issue.
Unmarried couples currently have limited legal protection and can face financial hardship if their relationship breaks down.
The Government’s decision not to introduce clearer guidelines is seriously out of step with many lawyers, who believe the current position is outdated.
Research from our annual survey – which gathers the opinions of the UK’s leading matrimonial lawyers – found 45% are now calling for a change in this legislation to be passed.
More than one in seven believe this is now the biggest issue facing matrimonial law and are pushing for the Cohabitation Bill to be supported by the Government, when it is presented on the July 3.
The biggest issue is that couples do not realise how legally vulnerable they are until it is too late.
The Government needs to listen to these concerns and develop a set of guidelines that allows cohabiting partners to have the same protection in the eyes of the law as married couples.
