Christina had a young son, Joshua, following a relationship with a top sportsman. When Christina came to us, she had been unable to get her ex to make a fair contribution to Joshua’s upkeep, given his very substantial income. Christina had no money to pay lawyers to represent her. She was also worried about what rights she would have because she had not been married to Joshua’s father. Although the position is not the same as if the parents had been married, the court still has the ability to award substantial financial provision for the benefit of the child under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 where either of the parents has sufficient financial resources.

How we helped

It soon became clear that it would not be possible to negotiate with the father to ensure he would pay his fair share. To begin with, we went to court and got an order compelling the father pay a monthly sum towards Joshua’s maintenance and provide funds to enable Christina to pay her legal fees going forward. We then built a case to show what Christina and Joshua needed to give the child a good standard of living, bearing in mind his father’s excellent income and earning potential.

Settlement

Ultimately, Christina received substantial monthly maintenance to last until Joshua completed his schooling. In addition, the father was ordered to purchase a house for the two of them to live in while Joshua was a minor and provide a replacement car for Christina every three years.