Family law case studies Bolton

Working on family law cases in Bolton

The Stowe Family Law team of highly skilled family lawyers is available to help clients in Bolton and across Greater Manchester who are coping with various family law matters, such as divorce, cohabitation, settling finances, and child custody.

The case studies below demonstrate how hard the team works to provide exceptional service and achieve the best possible outcomes for clients.

Whether you are struggling to decide how to split your finances after divorce, or cannot agree on who the children live with or are dealing with post-divorce arrangements, Partner, Matthew Taylor, Associate Megan Brookfield and the rest of the Stowe team in Bolton can help. 

Domestic abuse

In 2022, reported domestic abuse cases in Greater Manchester reached its highest level since records began, meaning there were 22.4 domestic abuse offences per 1,000 people in the area last year.

As family lawyers in Bolton, the team supports many vulnerable abuse survivors to separate safely from their perpetrators and move forward in life.

The team recently supported a wife who had recently separated from her husband after a 15 year relationship, where she and her children had endured physical, emotional and psychological abuse, which had left her scared, isolated and living in fear. 

She had left her husband and was being supported by family and friends and a local domestic abuse charity.

The team helped her understand her legal rights and options, and quickly secured a non-molestation order against the husband and an occupation order so that they could remain safely in the family home. 

Once the protective orders were in place, the team worked with the client to complete divorce proceedings, and is now working with her to negotiate a financial settlement which is ongoing. 

Today, our client slowly rebuilds her life, with specialist support from different organisations. A life free from  fear and abuse. 

Post-divorce arrangements

Legal issues can continue long after the divorce, as personal circumstances change, for example a new partner, a new job that requires travel, and a desire to relocate.

In Bolton, the team regularly deals with relocation internationally, and in the UK, where one parent wants to relocate and take the children with them. 

Highly emotive cases, they often end up being heard by the family court, as parents struggle to reach a compromise. 

In one recent case, the team represented the Dad, who objected to the Mum’s request to relocate from Bolton to Whitby in North Yorkshire so she could live with her new partner. 

Currently sharing care 50/50, a week on, week off, the new proposal from Mum would see the children spend time with Dad only every other weekend and in the holidays. 

The children are settled in Bolton, both happy at school and have extended family in the town. 

Despite lengthy negotiations and mediation, a decision could not be reached, and court proceedings were issued. 

In the end, the judge made the final decision that Mum and children should remain in Bolton, and that a move was not in the best interests of the children, as they were happy with their current arrangements, and time with both Dad and Mum was important. 

Shared care 50/50 remained in place, with a recommendation that holiday time should be spent in Whitby.

Spousal support

More commonly referred to as spousal maintenance, spousal support is a regular payment that’s paid by the higher earner (wife or husband) to the spouse with a lower income when a couple divorces. 

In a recent case involving a couple from Bolton, the issue of how much spousal maintenance should be paid  had become a sticking point in the negotiations. 

The couple had been married for 17 years and had three children, 15, 13 and 3 years old. The husband was a financial director for a manufacturing company and was on £150K plus a year. The wife had worked in pharmaceutical sales, but had stopped work after their third child, who was still under school age. 

It had already been agreed the wife would stay in the former marital home until the youngest child was 18, when it would be sold and the equity split 50/50. However, day-to-day living was difficult for the wife without employment. 

The team worked with the client to map out all her incomings and outgoings and budget for reasonable living expenses. Even after factoring in child maintenance, there was a shortfall to cover the wife’s living expenses. 

The husband was pushing back on this, even though it was revealed he had surplus income after all his reasonable needs were met. 

Finally, after lengthy negotiations with the other legal team, the husband agreed to cover the shortfall in an interim period until the youngest child started school and the wife could look for paid employment, which she was keen to do. At this point, the spousal maintenance could be reviewed. 

Get in touch with the Stowe Family Law Bolton team today

With dozens of locations across England and Wales, Stowe Family Law is the UK's largest family law firm. 

The office in Bolton is one of several in Greater Manchester, and the team here helps many people navigate the challenges a relationship breakdown brings, from child support to pensions to nuptial agreements. Whatever the family law issue, Partner Matthew Taylor, Associate Megan Brookfield and the Stowe team in Bolton are available to help.

Stowe Family Law’s Bolton office is located in the Regus building, 120 Bark St, Bolton, BL1 2AX. The office is situated in Bolton town centre, accessible by road from Topp Way (A673) or Marsden Road (B6205). The closest bus stop is Claremont Church. Parking is available in the building’s car park, NCP Bolton Upper Bark Street and NCP Pool Street South Car Park. Our team of family lawyers in Bolton can be contacted on 01204 956915.