Family Justice Council – 16th Annual Debate
The Family Justice Council is holding its 16th Annual Debate and panel discussion on Thursday 7th December 2023, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. The event will take place in London but will also be live streamed via MS Teams.
The motion for this year’s debate reads:
Should cohabiting couples have the same financial rights and responsibilities as those who are married/ In a Civil Partnership?
Chairing the event is the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane.
There are more than 3.6 million cohabiting couples in the UK and they are the fastest-growing family type. Cohabiting couples made up 18% of all families in 2022 and have accounted for three-quarters of the total growth in the number of families in the UK in the last 10 years. Despite this, cohabiting couples have very few legal rights when the relationship ends through separation or if one partner dies. Many are caught out by the ‘common law marriage myth’, believing that they have legal rights when, in fact, no such protections exist.
This is a timely debate, given that at the recent Labour Party Conference, Shadow Attorney General, Emily Thornberry, announced that a Labour government would reform the law for cohabiting couples.
The Family Justice Council are hoping to achieve attendance of a cross-section of all the key professions working in the family justice system and welcome applications from those who represent the interests of service users.
If you would like to register to attend in person, they you need to sign up by Monday 27th November 2023, but those planning on joining online can register up to Monday 4th December 2023. If you would like to find out more information about the event click here. To sign up, click here.
Author Name: Editor
Published content by The Divorce Surgery Editorial Team.
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