Rachel Longman Jane Masters

Ask the Expert

Rachael Longman

Rachael Longman is an Associate at Ward Hadaway LLP, which specialises in matrimonial law, this includes advising clients on all aspects of relationship breakdown, such as divorce or financial settlements. Rachael also advises clients in relation to prenuptial agreements and has a further specialism in surrogacy and fertility law.

What are the benefits of instructing a solicitor when you are getting divorced? The divorce process can be a very stressful time and is full of unknowns. An expert divorce solicitor can assist you in navigating the process whilst also providing you with advice as to the best way to approach certain situations. Solicitors are also removed slightly from the situation and can therefore provide you with clear advice, so you are able to make a fully informed decision. Do all divorce and financial cases end up in court? It is not the case that you would have to attend court if you are going through a divorce or trying to resolve your marital finances. Many couples reach agreements themselves, either independently or perhaps through mediation. However, sometimes when agreement can simply not be reached, court may be the only option. If this occurs, then expert legal advice should be sought to assist you with this process. Court may seem daunting, but its role is to make important decisions, so that your life can move on rather than remaining in stalemate when agreements cannot be reached. Is there such thing as common-law marriage? The very simple answer is NO. Commonlaw marriage is a myth – there are currently no laws which specifically relate to couples who choose to cohabit. If you are in a cohabiting relationship, then you do not have the same rights and future claims in respect of financial support, or against capital assets, as married couples or civil partners. If you are looking at cohabiting with a partner, then it would be worth taking specialist advice and perhaps entering into a cohabitation agreement.

Jane Masters

Jane has been teaching biology at The Grange School in Hartford for over ten years. Her teaching career started in 2002 and she has had experience in both the state sector and independent sector in Yorkshire and Cheshire. She has previously held the roles of head of biology and head of science.

How is biology promoted outside the classroom? The department has a long history of running some amazing foreign expeditions, working alongside research scientists to collect ecological data. We’ve monitored big cat populations in the Mexican jungle, helped with turtle conservation on the Caribbean coast and visited the famous Galápagos Islands, following in Darwin’s footsteps. We even rediscovered a reptile that was thought to be extinct in the wild. We’ve found these big adventures are amazing for developing ‘soft skills’ in our young people, such as resilience and teamwork. How do you support more able and talented students? We run a branch of ‘Café Scientifique’ in school for our older students, where we have an informal, thought-provoking talk delivered by a member of staff or a student followed by a casual but in-depth discussion over a cup of tea and biscuits.

Recently, we had a fantastic talk about homeopathy from the head of chemistry, which led to a discussion of medical ethics and stretched our maths skills. What are your favourite aspects of your job? There’s no such thing as a boring day in teaching! Every day is different. Even if you find yourself teaching the same lesson to two classes, students ask different insightful questions, which will lead you off on different tangents to explore. I love how inquisitive and keen to learn our students are and how they love a good challenge!