Hill Dickinson’s family team provides specialist civil partnership advice including:
- Preparing pre-civil partnership agreements
- Advice on the dissolution of civil partnerships
- Financial provision and child support claims
- The obtaining of parental responsibility for children and residence and contact orders
Key considerations:
- The Civil Partnership Act enables same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship.
- Forming a civil partnership ensures parity of treatment in a wide range of legal matters with those who enter into a civil marriage.
- If a civil partnership breaks down the court has the power to dissolve the partnership and make financial orders. These can include orders for maintenance, lump sum payments, property adjustment orders and pension sharing provision.
- Prior to - or during - a civil partnership steps can be taken to limit the financial effects of the dissolution of the partnership. In subsequent dissolution proceedings the court may take into account pre or post-civil partnership agreements in the same way as pre and post-nuptial agreements.
- The same considerations apply to the timing and strategy for resolving financial claims on civil partnership breakdown as apply to claims for family finance within divorce proceedings.
Examples of recent work include:
- Preparation of pre-civil partnership agreement and advice on jurisdictional issues, given domicile and tax issues
- Advice on the potential financial ramifications of entering into a civil partnership given pension provision
- Shared residence order proceedings for a
non-civil partner to gain parental responsibility for the child of
the relationship
The family
department "focuses on high to mid-range ancillary relief, and
handles referrals from the firm's large corporate department".
