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For many, the summer holidays are the most highly anticipated months of the year. It’s a time for sun, family and a well-deserved break from work. And yet, it’s sad to say that divorce lawyers often see a spike in enquiries at the end of the holidays from couples who have decided that enough is enough. Leah Thomas, a Senior Associate within our Family & Matrimonial department, gives her view on why so many couples choose to split at the end of the summer.

It was announced last month that the biggest change to housing law in Wales for decades – the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 - that was due to be implemented on 15th July this year has now been pushed back until 1st December. Stephen Davies, paralegal in our Public Law & Private Client Department, discusses what these changes will mean for landlords and tenants across Wales.

At Harding Evans we have a team of over 100 lawyers and support staff across our Newport and Cardiff offices and we’re extremely proud of them all. We recently welcomed Helen Carter, our Commercial Trainee Solicitor to talk to us about her experience of working here and to ask for her advice to anyone looking to get into Commercial Law.

These days, the ‘traditional’ family where a man and woman get married, have 2.4 children, who then grow up to live locally with their own spouse and children is clearly far less common than it was a generation ago. And yet, when it comes to planning what will happen to your estate after your days, the legislation is still largely geared to a ‘traditional family’ set-up, leaving it more complicated for blended families - where couples have children from other relationships - and same-sex couples to know what to consider when estate planning. Associate solicitor in our Wills & Probate department, Afonwy Howell-Pryce, shares her top tips.

In the wake of media reports about thousands of elderly people being mis-sold asset protection trust schemes under the false promise that this would protect their assets from care home fees and inheritance tax, Afonwy Howell-Pryce, an associate solicitor in our Wills & Probate department, considers the dangers of not having proper advice around protecting your finances for your and your family’s future in later life.

Losing a loved one can be a distressing and emotional time and is certainly not helped by delays with the administration of their estate. As the Law Society publishes its latest update on the probate service, Afonwy Howell-Pryce, an associate solicitor in our Wills & Probate department, reflects on the lengthy delays that have impacted bereaved families across the UK in recent years and looks forward to some much-needed improvements soon.

Following the exclusion of the Employment Bill from the Queen’s Speech earlier this month, the Government has been accused of breaking its promises to improve workers’ rights. Here, our Head of Employment Law, Dan Wilde, examines what this means for the highly-anticipated legislative changes.

Going through a divorce can be a deeply upsetting and unsettling time for all parties involved, especially for those circumstances when children and custody arrangements are the main source of discussion. Whilst a marital breakdown can have a damaging impact on loved ones, a divorce does not necessarily need to hurt children, as separation can be the best choice for a family. However there is no avoiding the fact that the transition can be hard for the whole family, and it is important to keep your child’s best interests at heart. Leah Thomas, a Senior Associate within our Family & Matrimonial department, discusses how to best prioritise your children within your divorce and the support that is available.

Last week, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board announced that it is closing two of its maternity units until October due to staffing shortages. Debra King, senior associate in our Clinical Negligence team, reflects on how this can help reduce birth injuries.

Part Two: A look at the other storylines

The last ever episode of the BBC’s popular legal drama, The Split, aired on Monday night, with main characters, Hannah and Nathan Stern, finally proving that it is possible to have “a good divorce” although there were a lot of bumps along the way. In her second blog exploring whether the TV programme reflects reality, senior associate Leah Thomas turns her attention to the other family law plot twists that captured our attention throughout the third and final series.

Part One: Hannah & Nathan’s divorce

As the BBC’s latest series of The Split draws to a close this week, Leah Thomas, a senior associate in our family law department, examines whether the glamorous, dramatic life of the solicitors working for Noble Hale Defoe reflects the reality of working in family law. We start today by exploring the main storyline – the main characters, Hannah and Nathan Stern’s divorce.

Talking about death can be a difficult topic to broach but Dying Matters Awareness Week is run each year to encourage people to have more open conversations about life coming to an end. This Dying Matters Awareness Week, Afonwy Howell-Pryce, an Associate Solicitor in our Wills and Probate team, explains why it’s not just older adults who should be writing their Wills.