Family law insights and commentary from the offices of divorce and family law attorney Simon Dippenaar.
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Custody and access are now called child care and contact – but are still determined by the courts The Children’s Act 2005 changed the language we use when it comes to child care arrangements after a divorce or breakdown in the parental relationship. Because the Act aimed to place the interests of the child at […]
Online or DIY divorce may look cheap – but could cost you dearly in the long run Google “online divorce” or “DIY divorce” and you will be overwhelmed with results. It’s made out to be as easy as buying tickets to a show, and almost as cheap. It may be easy, but it’s not that […]
Maintenance evaders beware – the litigant with the best typewriter doesn’t always win. Last week a three-judge bench of the Johannesburg High Court pronounced on the level of disclosure required by those appearing in a maintenance court. Both parties must now make full financial disclosure: every detail, including trusts and offshore assets, as well an […]
Things to consider when considering divorce If your marriage has broken down irretrievably and you honestly believe you and your spouse would be better off going your separate ways, you have probably reached the stage of considering divorce. But perhaps you are just feeling unhappy, bored, dissatisfied or demotivated. Every relationship goes through difficult times […]
Sometimes parental alienation masks another personality disorder In other posts we have discussed parental alienation, what it is and how it impacts children during and after divorce. We’ve also covered some of the ways a trusting relationship can be re-established, even after damage has been done. The alienation from a parent does not have to […]
Five Limiting Thoughts Reframed Post Divorce Post divorce: the divorce is final. You have spent countless hours in and out of court and in lawyers’ offices. Most of your time and energy was directed toward the process. You finally have space to think, to reflect, and to feel. It is now that regrets sometimes surface. […]
Deliberate parental alienation harms the child more than the parent Source: SDLAW When divorcing or divorced parents engage in tactics that give rise to parental alienation, the individual who suffers the most is the child. It may be tempting for an aggrieved parent suffering through an acrimonious divorce to want to portray the other parent […]
Which Path is Best for Your Divorce? The word is spreading over coffee cups and in the carpool lane: if you can handle your divorce through a mediator, you’ll avoid a great deal of drama, almost certainly end up with a fair and equitable settlement, and pay a fraction of the cost. But in my […]
