CHILD AND FAMILY LAW

Answer the following question. The overall word limit is 3,000 words.

Eugene and Charlotte met each other in their workplace and have been married for 5 years in the UK. Both work for a fashion company. Eugene, who is 32 years of age, is an advertising consultant earning £55,000/per annum and Charlotte, who is 28 years of age, is an accountant earning £30,000/per annum. They have a son, Connor, who is 4 years old. They live in Central London in a 2 bedroom flat which they own jointly.

You are a solicitor for Bell LLP and Charlotte comes to you seek legal advice on how to divorce Eugene. She specifically would like to know the following:

1. What legal options are open to her to bring her marriage to an end? Advise her on her options under the current law and also following the coming into force of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020.
2. What financial and property orders the court may make on divorce and how the various factors in s.25 MCA 1973 might be applied here?
3. What orders she could obtain to enable Connor to stay with her and the criteria which would be considered by the court in the welfare of Connor and the making of those orders?
Advise Charlotte on the above issues giving justifications for your answers and quoting the relevant law.