Sarah Franklin Solicitors

10/06/2026

We are seeing more and more people at the office who have never got married, but have been living together for years, sometimes decades.
As anyone who follows this page will know, common law husband and wife simply does not exist in the UK. This can leave one of the separating couples in a very precarious position with little legal recourse.
This week, the Government published a long-awaited family law consultation to consider strengthening the financial rights of unmarried couples if they split up.
One concern about giving rights to unmarried couples is what should constitute 'cohabitation' and how that can be defined.
There is definitely a need to improve legal protections for the now 3.5 million unmarried couples in the UK so watch this space as to how that goes forward....

28/05/2026

‘I just need a simple contract’.
This was a request I had this week.
Translation: I don’t want to pay very much for the document to be prepared or I really don’t understand that contracts are not ‘simple’.
It’s also why I think a lot of people are using AI to prepare their own documents. They think it’s all ‘simple’.
Most clients dont think about what happens if it all goes wrong, including when someone tries to terminate the contract before it legally ends, when someone doesn’t want to pay, when someone doesn’t fulfil their obligations, when the obligations are unclear, when some terms of the contract are actually unenforceable and many other reasons that could signal problems ahead.
This is what I do. Whether it’s driver or teams agreements, sponsorship contracts or any other contract within the motorsport world, I make sure I understand the basis of the agreement and what is expected of both parties and what will happen if it goes wrong. It makes life so much easier if there are issues in the future.
With over 30 years of experience, I’ve pretty much seen it all and what happens if things do go wrong and the contract simply wasn’t well prepared or, even worse, there isn’t a contract in place!
Getting the contract right at the beginning is absolutely essential.
Contracts are very much not simple!

22/04/2026

Cohabitation cases have been increasing more and more recently. So many people still think that cohabiting couples have the same legal protections as married couples.
Spoiler: They don’t.
Cohabitation disputes are often complex and are highly fact-specific. Having evidence of property ownership, contributions and intentions are essential.
Anyone moving in together needs advice to ensure they fully understand the position if the relationship should break down.
Getting advice enables you to understand your rights, protect your position, put an agreement in place such as a cohabitation agreement or a declaration of trust and avoid costly disputes later on.
The key message? Always get some advice before embarking on cohabiting. You’ll thank yourself later if the relationship breaks down.

09/03/2026

It's so important to have a Will to avoid costly and lengthy problems in the future - yet scary to see how many people still don't have an up to date one.
Give us a call and we can put that right for you. It's not as scary an experience as you think and one of our experienced Solicitors can discuss your needs and answer any questions you may have.

Research on people with up-to-date wills suggests a wave of inheritance disputes looms.

13/02/2026

Family law, like the winter Olympics is about navigating complex, high-stakes, and often icy, emotional terrain. Whether you're in the opening ceremony (initial separation), navigating the technical, tricky slalom of asset division, or aiming for a balance, harmonious ‘Armonia’ (the theme for this years Olympics), the goal is reaching the finish line.
Dividing the assets is like a slalom – requiring precision and avoiding penalties such as hidden assets.
Co-parenting is like figure skating, requiring a perfect, coordinated and artistic performance to keep the children safe and emotional stable.
Finally, the medal podium is like the final order of divorce – ending a marriage isn’t, though about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ but about securing a fair, lasting and sustainable ‘gold’ for your family’s future.
At the end of the day, divorce and separation is a challenging course – which is why you need the best coaches in the business, namely Sarah Franklin Solicitors, at your side.
If you know someone that could benefit from our experience, skill and understanding, please pass on our details.

24/01/2026

Contracts in motorsport are essential - and they need to be right and include everything that is part of the agreement.

A decision was given yesterday at the High Court where Alex Palou was ordered to pay McLaren Racing more than $12 million for breach of contract.

The decision follows a five-week trial held in October last year after McLaren sued Palou for backing out of two separate agreements.

The claims stemmed from Palou’s decision to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing rather than move to McLaren’s IndyCar team.

The court ruled that all awarded damages were limited to losses suffered by McLaren’s IndyCar team as a result of Palou’s reversal. Part of the claim for F1 losses was dismissed in the 124 page judgement. The majority of the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to sponsorship-related losses.

Alex Palou is now considering whether to appeal the decision.

06/11/2025

The presumption that a child should see both parents is going to be removed. Safeguarding children must always be a priority and it’s good to see this change.

Children exposed to the family courts will be protected from harm under plans by the Government to repeal the presumption of parental involvement (22 October).

18/10/2025

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16/09/2025

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07/09/2025

At 3 pm today, the government will be sending out a test of the emergency alert. This can cause concern and issues for some, including those in domestic violence situations who may have a secondary phone. The alert will sound unless the phone is switched off or you can opt out - see the link below.

Opting out of emergency alerts