When experiencing family dramas it can be all too obvious for the situation to extend into litigation and you require some kind of legal support. This is most obvious with a messy divorce or an inheritance, where the parties believe the wishes and Will of the deceased is not being actioned upon appropriately. But there are more subtle times when it would be wise to seek guidance from family solicitors Portsmouth.
For instance, you may have little or no interest in getting married but your arrangement with your cohabiting partner has no legal support of any kind. Perhaps drawing an agreement which outlines the legal responsibilities of both partners would be useful? Or maybe you are considering adoption but what will be the status of your adopted child when it comes to inheritance?
You could even be adopting via a co-parenting arrangement, where both co parents are not actually in a relationship (sexual or platonic) and the terms and conditions of their parental responsibility needs to be crystal clear.
The truth is that life has many complexities, edge cases and oddities and you cannot expect the legal system to have a cookie cutter solution to many of these situations. By talking through with a professional who has a solid grasp of the law, you can reach solutions through contract drafting, mediation or representative negotiation.
By using these services preemptively you can save yourself a lot of time, cost and heartache in the long term. It is said that good fences make good neighbours and in order to maintain any arrangement, a clear definition of the parties responsibilities and a sober agreement to stand by those responsibilities is important.
Family legislation
Legislation, particularly around marriages and inheritance, is one of the oldest parts of the UK’s statute book. It has had many additions, rewrites and revisions over the hundreds of years. This creates quite a dizzying body to navigate through alone with examples of situations that have to be handled under old law, as the start of a relationship or the original agreements were made before legal revision.
Some of the newest additions alter the status of same-sex couples and adoption regulations, as well as including criminal elements like coerscion and financial abuse into the mix. When situations are not preempted, you end up with a legislative challenge in an extremely emotive high-tension situation, which can easily result in crowding decision-making and resulting in bold statements with unpleasant and unforeseen consequences.
Finding a solicitor
If you don’t already have a solicitor or don’t know of a good quality local solicitor from friends or associates, you can search for them online. The Law Society provides a public register, allowing you to double check if any potential you have seen online is fully registered and bonded. Be sure to look up reviews of any firm you are considering hiring and during initial consultations. If you are unhappy with your solicitor, change early as it is much easier and change late in the process and you may end up having to spend quite a lot of time with them! So if there are any issues in your professional relationship, seek a different professional’s advice.
