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Resolution is a national group of family lawyers who believe in resolving family disputes in a constructive and non-confrontational manner. There are over 3,500 Resolution members nationwide. Each year Resolution holds an annual “awareness raising week” in an attempt to promote a particular aspect of family law.

This year the awareness raising week is focusing on the rights of cohabiting couples. Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK with more than 3 million people living in this type of relationship. However, should these couples separate they currently have little or no legal protection. Many people mistakenly believe that couples who live together acquire rights as a “Common Law Spouse”. This notion does not actually exist and the law which applies to married couples is very different to that which applies to unmarried couples.

There have, over the years, been various consultations regarding changing the law to provide greater legal protection for unmarried couples who separate. 

To date there has been little progress in this area which is why Resolution are seeking to raise awareness. Hopefully you will see wide press coverage of this issue in the awareness week which is set to take place between 27 November and 1 December 2017.

Last year the awareness raising week focused on “no fault divorce” in which Resolution prompted and campaigned for a change in divorce law to remove the requirement for one party to a marriage to place blame upon the other in order to file a Divorce Petition within two years of separation. You can read more about “no fault divorce” on our website here.

If you are thinking of moving in with your partner or if you are in an cohabiting relationship which has broken down please do contact us if you require any advice about your situation. All of the family lawyers at Leathes Prior are members of Resolution.