NEWS RELEASE
01 February 2010
Leading Yorkshire lawyer highlights hidden truth behind divorce statistics
A leading Yorkshire divorce lawyer has warned that a lack of legal protection for cohabiting couples is leaving an increasing number of people open to financial ruin in the event of a relationship breakdown.
Simon Preston, head of the Divorce and Family Department at Stewarts Law in Leeds, said figures published this week which showed a fifth consecutive annual decrease in the number of divorces in the UK painted anything but a rosy picture of greater stability in relationships. Instead, he said the figures were simply indicative of the continued decline in the number of couples opting to get married - and warned that this meant more people were going through relationship break-ups without the legal safeguards of marriage.
"The marriage rate is at its lowest since records began in 1862 having been in decline for decades so of course the divorce rate is going down," said Simon. "My concern is that statistics ignore the real rate of relationship breakdown in this country because they do not take account of non-married couples. This is a real problem for our society given that the Office for National Statistics has predicted that the number of unmarried cohabiting couples will increase by two thirds over the next 25 years.
He explained: "Couples who live together have no or little legal protection, regardless of the length of their relationship and regardless of whether they have had children together. As a result, many cohabitants - usually women - and their children fall into poverty upon relationship breakdown. The lack of sufficient legal protection leaves many cohabitants reliant on government handouts and the support of family or friends when relationships break down.
"The political parties are resistant to address the problem for fear of 'undermining marriage' but at what cost? The law in this area has been overtaken by the changes in our society. The problem is exacerbated by the 'common law marriage' myth. Despite the fact that common law marriage hasn't existed since 1753, more than half the public think that couples who live together have rights. They don't."
Ends
Issued on behalf of Stewarts Law LLP, www.stewartslaw.com, by Nexnet PR, 8 York Place, Leeds, LS1 2DS, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk or joanne.mead@nexnet.co.uk.
Notes to editors
Stewarts Law is one of the leading specialist litigation legal practices in the UK. It has top-rankings in both the Legal 500 and Chambers, the two leading guides to the legal profession worldwide, and was named Niche Firm of the Year by The Lawyer magazine in 2009.
The firm, which has offices in Leeds and London, acts for a UK and international client base focusing on high-value and complex disputes. Its Leeds office, which opened in 2003, has grown rapidly and now has dedicated teams specialising in personal injury, clinical negligence, divorce and commercial litigation and antitrust. The firm is global in its perspective and has strategic partnerships in place with law firms around the world.
For more information, visit www.stewartslaw.com