Cohabitation Claims: Law, Practice and Procedure

A continuing decline in the marriage rate has led to an increasing number of disputes between unmarried couples, whether of the same or different sexes, and a shift in the workload of both family lawyers and civil litigators.

To advise clients appropriately, family law practitioners, familiar with the discretionary jurisdiction applicable to ancillary relief proceedings, and civil practitioners will have to master new challenges, including:

• How will a client establish or defeat a beneficial interest in property?
• How can such an interest be quantified?
• What is the procedure?
• How can it best be employed to advance the client’s case?

In this authoritative text, John Wilson, an expert in the field, provides an immensely thorough explanation of the law, practice, evidential requirements and procedure that underpin cohabitation claims. The author offers invaluable help in the tasks of establishing quantifying and pursuing the claim. The work also includes full coverage of claims under Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989, another area of increasing importance but which for many lawyers remains unfamiliar territory.