Kelly Gerrard is top knowledge development and Legal Director in the UK's leading Family department at Payne Hicks Beach.

Payne Hicks Beach listed in Tier 1 of eprivateclient’s Top Family Law Firms 2020 rankings

Payne Hicks Beach’s leading Family department is listed in Tier 1 of eprivateclient’s Top Family Law Firms 2020. Payne Hicks Beach’s inclusion in this list highlights ...

The Spoils of Divorce

When considering the division of assets on divorce, focus, quite rightly, usually starts on the big items such as houses, bank balances, investments and pensions. However, intense debate can ...

What is parental responsibility, who has it and can it be taken away?

What is parental responsibility? Parental responsibility ("PR") is defined by s3 (1) Children Act 1989 as 'all the rights, duties, powers responsibilities and authority which by law a parent ...

Summer Holidays 2021 - Don’t wait until the 11th hour!

We are now some 15 months into the global pandemic and, whilst restrictions at home are easing, international travel remains a thorny topic. What does this mean for separated parents ...

What support are unmarried parents entitled to? A long way to fall when the child reaches its majority and no ability to save for the future

Under English law there is currently no such concept as a common law marriage. This often comes as a surprise to people who have lived together for many years, ...

An end to the Marinos v Munro debate?

The UK finally left the EU at 11pm on 31st December 2020. Unfortunately, no bespoke family law arrangements were agreed with the EU governing the future inter country relations, leaving ...

The Domestic Abuse Bill

The Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-2021, sponsored by Priti Patel and Baroness Williams of Trafford, reached the Committee Stage in the House of Lords in early 2021. This vitally important bill ...

Horizon Scanning: What does the year ahead hold for Family Law?

Many of us will be glad to herald the end of 2020. But what does the year ahead in 2021 hold for Family Law? Work levels The Family Justice Board recently ...

Conduct yourself properly…or be penalised for litigation conduct

It is often said that London is the “divorce capital of the world”, the implication being that the English Courts are traditionally more favourable to the financially weaker ...

Is it safe to send my child back to school?

On the 18 March 2020 the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced that schools would close on 20 March to all pupils save for the children of key workers. Since that ...

Could Coronavirus unravel financial agreements and orders?

The novel Coronavirus In December 2019 China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan Province which led to the identification of the novel coronavirus. On 23 January 2020 Wuhan was ...