The case of Akhter v Khan was heard in the High Court on 5th and 6th February and 12th and 13th July 2018. The case concerned an Islamic wedding ceremony known as a Nikah conducted in 1998. Since the ceremony, the parties had referred to themselves as husband and wife and, when they lived in
For National Surrogacy Week 2018 we invited Professor Nick Hopkins, Commissioner, and Leonie James, Research Assistant, Law Commission for England and Wales, to contribute the following piece: Becoming a parent is the greatest day in many people’s lives. But for whatever reason, sometimes surrogacy can be the only way for people to have children of
There is little doubt that surrogacy is on the rise and is increasingly becoming an option for parents who are unable to conceive naturally. For many reasons, parents are now seeking professional surrogacy services abroad. International surrogacy is however, a complex area. Unfortunately, there is no international law governing surrogacy and the laws vary widely
Under UK Law, the surrogate mother is the legal mother of the child and, if she is married or has entered into a civil partnership, then her spouse or civil partner will be regarded as the second legal parent of the child (unless it can be proved that he / she didn’t consent to the
Ross Gibson is a former British gymnast, born and raised in Blackpool. Since 2004 he has been performing as the principle character ‘Red Bird’ in Cirque du Soleil’s Las Vegas show Mystère. He is married to Ben, a champion synchronised swimmer from France who is also a performer in the Las Vegas show ‘Le Reve’.
As part of National Surrogacy Week 2018, Lauren Guy spoke to barrister Richard Jones of 1GC about his practice in the field of surrogacy law. What attracted you to practise in the field of surrogacy law? I’ve been fortunate enough to practise in the field of family law since I began my career at the
In support of National Surrogacy Week, its aim being to celebrate and raise awareness of surrogacy in the UK, this blog post has been written to try and demystify some of the common misunderstandings around surrogacy in the UK. Myth: “Surrogacy is illegal in the UK.” Surrogacy is legal in the UK; however, it is
As part of National Surrogacy Week 2018, Gemma Vines explores the impact of a recent case and why changes are needed to the law surrounding surrogacy in the UK. The recent case of AB v CD [2018] EWHC 1590, where the Court was again prevented from granting the biological parents of twin children a Parental
The Law in England and Wales stipulates that there is only one ‘ground’ for divorce – the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage. This can be based on one of five ‘facts’. The petitioner can rely on adultery, behaviour, desertion, or separation after two years with consent of the respondent or separation after five years where
The Supreme Court has granted a former husband’s appeal in the case of Mills v Mills. This case focussed on cross applications to vary a spousal maintenance order made in 2002 when Mr and Mrs Mills divorced. Mr and Mrs had been married for around 15 years and following their divorce they were able to