Sharon Thompson – författare

An unrivalled collection, placing key judgments and expert commentary at your fingertips. Family Law: Text, Cases, and Materials presents everything the undergraduate student needs in one volume. The authors offer a detailed and authoritative exposition of family law, illustrated by materials carefully selected from a wide range of sources.Key features- Combines a wide range of cases and materials with insightful explanation, commentary and analysis, creating a complete resource for students of family law- Features authoritative author commentary which engages with a range of theoretical and critical perspectives- Accompanying online resources provide regular updates on recent developments in family law, further reading suggestions, questions, and additional legal coverage- Also available as an e-book with functionality, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning supportNew to this edition- Developments including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, and the advent of mixed-sex civil partnership- Consideration of the Law Commission's proposed reform of weddings law, particularly in relation to non-qualifying ceremonies- A revised analysis of the Gillick competence and children's autonomy rights in light of recent case law- Updated case law, including HM Attorney General v Akhter and Khan [2020], Guest v Guest [2022], Bell v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust [2021], and Re H-W (Care Proceedings) [2022]Digital formats and resourcesThe fifth edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources.- The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks- The online resources that support the book include regular updates on the law, further reading suggestions, and questions for students to consider.

This book provides an alternative perspective on an issue fraught with difficulty – the enforcement of prenuptial agreements. Such agreements are enforced because the law acknowledges the rights of spouses to make autonomous decisions about the division of their property on divorce. Yet this book demonstrates that, in the attempt to promote autonomy, other issues, such as imbalance of power between the parties, become obscured.This book offers an academic and practical analysis of the real impact of prenuptial agreements on the relationships of those involved. Using a feminist and contractual theoretical framework, it attempts to produce a more nuanced understanding of the autonomy exercised by parties entering into prenuptial agreements. This book also draws on an empirical study of the experiences and views of practitioners skilled in the formation and litigation of prenuptial agreements in New York. Lastly, it explores how the court might address concerns regarding power and autonomy during the drafting and enforcement processes of prenuptial agreements, which in turn may enhance the role that ‘prenups’ can play in the judicial allocation of spousal property on the breakdown of marriage.

This book tells the untold story of the Married Women’s Association. Unlike more conventional histories of family law, which focus on legal actors, it highlights the little-known yet indispensable work of a dedicated group of life-long activists.Formed in 1938, the Married Women’s Association took reform of family property law as its chief focus. The name is deceptively innocuous, suggesting tea parties and charity fundraisers, but in fact the MWA was often involved in dramatic confrontations with politicians, civil servants, and Law Commissioners. The Association boasted powerful public figures, including MP Edith Summerskill, authors Vera Brittain and Dora Russell, and barrister Helena Normanton. They campaigned on matters that are still being debated in family law today. Quiet Revolutionaries sheds new light upon legal reform then and now by challenging longstanding assumptions, showing that piecemeal legislation can be an effective stepping stone to comprehensive reform and highlighting how unsuccessful bills, though often now forgotten, can still be important triggers for change. Drawing upon interviews with members’ friends and family, and thousands of archival documents, the book is compulsory reading for lawyers, legal historians, and anyone who wishes to explore histories of law reform from the ground up.Winner of the SLSA Socio-Legal Theory and History Book Prize 2023.To listen to podcast episodes about the Married Women’s Association, featuring interviews and archival research, visit quietrevolutionaries.podbean.com.

This book tells the untold story of the Married Women’s Association. Unlike more conventional histories of family law, which focus on legal actors, it highlights the little-known yet indispensable work of a dedicated group of life-long activists.Formed in 1938, the Married Women’s Association took reform of family property law as its chief focus. The name is deceptively innocuous, suggesting tea parties and charity fundraisers, but in fact the MWA was often involved in dramatic confrontations with politicians, civil servants, and Law Commissioners. The Association boasted powerful public figures, including MP Edith Summerskill, authors Vera Brittain and Dora Russell, and barrister Helena Normanton. They campaigned on matters that are still being debated in family law today. Quiet Revolutionaries sheds new light upon legal reform then and now by challenging longstanding assumptions, showing that piecemeal legislation can be an effective stepping stone to comprehensive reform and highlighting how unsuccessful bills, though often now forgotten, can still be important triggers for change. Drawing upon interviews with members’ friends and family, and thousands of archival documents, the book is compulsory reading for lawyers, legal historians, and anyone who wishes to explore histories of law reform from the ground up.Winner of the SLSA Socio-Legal Theory and History Book Prize 2023.To listen to podcast episodes about the Married Women’s Association, featuring interviews and archival research, visit quietrevolutionaries.podbean.com.

The law on the financial consequences of divorce needs to be reformed. This accessible yet authoritative text moves beyond the complexity of current case law to propose concrete legislative solutions centred on equal partnership principles. With the abolition of fault-based divorce and government consideration of financial remedies reform underway, this analysis could not be more relevant. Drawing on rich research, including new interviews on nuptial agreements, Thompson offers a compelling alternative to existing reform proposals that reveals surprising realities about finances on divorce. By re-evaluating what equality means and how it is perceived, this is a book about how the road to reform can be strategic yet fair. Offering evidence-based insights, it proposes a unique and pragmatic approach to reform.

This insightful Research Handbook provides an international perspective on the key legal debates surrounding marriage and cohabitation. Drawing on the expertise of established and emerging scholars, a comparative approach is used to analyse cross-jurisdictional trends and divergences in relationship recognition and family formation.Chapter authors explore the contested meanings and changing boundaries of marriage, the scope and role of alternative opt-in regimes, and the justification for conferring rights and responsibilities based on intimate relationships. Responding to the rising numbers of couples cohabiting without formalising their relationship, contributors examine how legal systems should respond to these changing patterns of relationships, and what it means to be a ‘family’ in different societies. Ultimately, they argue against imposing a particular view of what marriage should be, showcasing the importance of a diverse range of views and perspectives on the topic.The Research Handbook on Marriage, Cohabitation and the Law presents a comprehensive overview of the field, and will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of family law, law and gender, and law and society. It will also be an essential guide for policy-makers and legal practitioners seeking insights into the processes of family formation across jurisdictions.

This book provides an alternative perspective on an issue fraught with difficulty – the enforcement of prenuptial agreements. Such agreements are enforced because the law acknowledges the rights of spouses to make autonomous decisions about the division of their property on divorce. Yet this book demonstrates that, in the attempt to promote autonomy, other issues, such as imbalance of power between the parties, become obscured.This book offers an academic and practical analysis of the real impact of prenuptial agreements on the relationships of those involved. Using a feminist and contractual theoretical framework, it attempts to produce a more nuanced understanding of the autonomy exercised by parties entering into prenuptial agreements. This book also draws on an empirical study of the experiences and views of practitioners skilled in the formation and litigation of prenuptial agreements in New York. Lastly, it explores how the court might address concerns regarding power and autonomy during the drafting and enforcement processes of prenuptial agreements, which in turn may enhance the role that ‘prenups’ can play in the judicial allocation of spousal property on the breakdown of marriage.