Selina Trigg

Hearing about Miranda and Simon helping their daughter buy a home, I quickly switched into lawyer mode and started raining on Miranda, Simon and Miria’s parade. “What will happen if Miria’s boyfriend ends up moving in?” “Have you considered how you would feel if Miria, one day, separates from her future spouse or partner and they end up with half of the house and hence half your gift?”. My questions rolled on as the colour drained from Miranda’s face and her glass rapidly grew emptier.

A reader of this blog asked whether he’d still be required to pay child support for his child if that child was adopted by the child’s mother and her new husband. Under our current Child Support laws, there are only a few circumstances in which your obligations to pay child support come to an end. Adoption of your child is one of those situations. But adoption comes with lots of other significant consequences to be aware of.

Legal costs can feel daunting, particularly more so if you are going through the uncertainty of a separation or legal dispute, so you are best to be upfront about costs right at the beginning of your dealings with a lawyer. There are guidelines and rules about what lawyers can charge and there are things you can do to reduce your costs. Below are some of my top tips for managing and being proactive about your legal costs