• Download the document from the Precedents page (no. 39)

Civil Partnership Act

The Civil Partnership Act of 2010 allows cohabitating couples, who were in an intimate relationship for 5 years or more, or 2 years if they have a dependent child, to seek a maintenance order from the other partner, or financial provision from their estate. Thereafter and recognising the ever increasing trend for people to cohabitate, the Family & Child Law Committee undertook to create a precedent in order to support practitioners to drafting and advise their clients on cohabitating should they choose to enter into a cohabitation agreement.  

Family Law Bill

Practitioners should also be aware that the Family Law Bill 2019 passed all stages of the Oireachtas in October. The Bill reduces the minimum living apart period for divorce to 2 years during the previous 3 years and recognises divorces, legal separations and annulments granted under UK law, in the event that the UK withdraws from the EU without an agreement.

eNewsletters

This article originally appeared in the November 2019 member eZine. For more information on the eZine, and to subscribe, visit eNewsletters.