The Credit Crunch

In a survey accountancy firm PKF found 54% of the top law firms in Scotland were concerned with the economy. The Online Journal reports 36% of the firms surveyed were worried about staff recruitment and retention and firms dependent on the property market in Scotland are already cutting staff. In the video available here Charles Barnett, PKF professional services partner, says Scottish legal firms under financial pressure will in future have to look at multi-disciplinary practices.

Elsewhere it seems family lawyers are hit by the credit crunch. Last week Sam Hasler of Indiana Family Law said in an email the economy was very rocky over there, in this post John Bolch of Family Lore announced he was seeking new employment and today Will Cowell, partner and head of family law at Miller Sands, told me private family law practices in Cambridge were shedding staff and his firm was among the last to do so. As far as I am aware Scottish family solicitors have not been affected yet.

The north/south differences could be due to several factors. According to the Office of National Statistics in England there is a downward trend in the divorce rates whilst in Scotland the rates are still rising. In Scotland procedures and rules are such it is not possible to just read them to understand so unless there are no finances to sort out, or no children under 16, a lawyer is going to be generally required at some point. To my knowledge there is only one online service in Scotland. However in England a fair number of people represent themselves and there is a growing number of online divorce services. In fact if they catch on probably the greatest threat to Scottish family solicitors are English online divorce companies that do Scottish divorces.

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"Tinkling" of Glass Ceilings

In the Herald it was reported that Norma Graham, Scotland's first female chief constable, says she has never felt the victim of sexism. I have to say despite being the only women in my year in engineering at university and choosing a profession where women still make up only 3% of the workforce I haven't either. Teased unmercifully perhaps, but never sexism at work.

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Overcoming Adversity

So often we hear that the number of poor outcomes for children of broken families is significantly more than intact families but there are no figures that tell us how many children grow to be successful because they overcame the difficulties relating to their parent's separation.

Although not related to divorce this article in the Herald describes how Azeem Ibrahim, who grew up in a council house in Glasgow, was motivated after his father went bankrupt and died prematurely within 5 years. Azeem Ibrahim at 32 has his own bank, a self-made fortune of £60m and a doctorate from Cambridge University. He belongs to US and UK think tanks and advises governments on inward investment.

A few years ago I came across research that concluded that a disproportionately high number of the world's most famous people had overcome childhood adversity. I'm not sure if the study was valid or not but throughout history there has been many children brought up with the absence of at least one parent who then went on to do great things eg Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise, the Duke of Wellington, Alan Johnson MP, George Eliot, Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou.

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Stability For Over 18s

This week I've been suffering from 'empty nesting' as last weekend our 24 year old daughter (pictured above in St Lucia) set off for 18 months traveling around the world and I expect when she comes back, or perhaps that should be if she comes back, she will finally be totally independent. Apparently 24 is the average age for young people to leave home. The nest won't be empty long, our son will soon be back home from university for the summer break.

Since leaving school both children have at some point brought home friends who for one reason or another have not had the stability of family support to help them make the transition into adulthood. They lived with us for periods ranging from a few months until over a year in two cases. Therefore thanks to a post by Jaqui Giliatt of Family Law Week I was delighted to learn that the Department for Children, Schools and Families has released an announcement that the UK Government is to pilot a programme to give young people the chance to stay in their foster families beyond the age of 18.

Kevin Brennan, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Children said: “Children in care have told us that they want the same sort of stability that other children have – and some of them need help and support beyond the age of 18 in order to make the transition into adulthood.

“On average, young people don’t leave home until they are 24. Given the poor outcomes that children in care have historically had, it is important that these young people get the support they need to remain in employment, education or training. They shouldn’t have to cope on their own when they have to make big decisions about their future.”

Minister of State for Children Beverley Hughes said: “We want to make this country the best place in the world for children to grow up, which is why we published our Children’s Plan. It sets out what we will do over the next ten years to achieve this ambition, and to make this happen we need to focus on the needs of our most vulnerable children.

“There is still a significant gap between quality of life and future prospects of children in care and that of other children. Tackling this is going to involve everyone who works with children having the same ambitions for these children as for their own.”

So the good news is that these children in care will be given the same opportunity many of their peers have. The downside is it relates only to England.

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Dating Tips

Being happily single and having a busy work and social schedule since my divorce a few years ago I never got round to dating so I was rather surprised to find Sam Hasler of Indiana Divorce & Family Law had credited me with giving pointers in Dating for Those Past 50. Not that I mind, it was a good post, but I hope whoever the real Fiona is she doesn't object to me passing on the tips from Dating After Divorce: 50 Tips to Get Back into the Groove.

Being a part of a couple for a while will certainly take some of your individuality away. Take advantage of this time after your divorce to find that individuality again. Learn new hobbies, find old friends, and treat yourself with respect. This list tells you how to do that and more.

1. Let go of the past. You will not be able to move forward until you resolve your feelings about the break-up of your marriage and the divorce. Once you work through these feelings, you’ll find yourself in a much better place to go on with your life.

2. Rekindle old interests. Did you have a passion for photography before you got married? Pick up that camera again. You may find that you can rediscover yourself through those interests you pushed aside during the marriage.

3. Find new interests. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to paint or go kayaking. Taking up new interests now will help you rediscover qualities about yourself you may have forgotten. It will also get you out and meeting new people.

4. Learn to enjoy your own company. After living with someone for a while, it can be difficult to enjoy doing things alone. Find ways to have fun on your own.

5. Take care of yourself. If you’ve gained a few extra pounds, find a way to get some exercise. Eat healthily and take time to pamper yourself. If you feel good about the way you look and feel, others will too.

6. Lose the negative self-image. If you feel poorly about yourself, you are likely to attract people who will treat you badly. Make a list of your good qualities and remind yourself often of them. Work on building yourself up.

7. Develop new friendships. You don’t have to ignore your old friends, but often it is helpful to have a new network of friends who didn’t know you and your ex as a couple. New friendships and support systems can help ease your transition after divorce.

8. Reconnect with old friends. Track down old friends with whom you’ve lost touch over the years. Whether you find you’ve still got lots in common or you’ve both moved on, it will likely enrich your life anyway.

9. Volunteer. No matter if you have a lot of free time or almost none, there is some place you can volunteer your time. Devoting some time working for others is a great way to discover new things about yourself.

10. Start a new career. If you’ve been working in a job you hate or if you were staying at home with the children, after a divorce is a good time to start down a new path. Start taking steps to get you going toward that career you’ve always wanted.

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