Shared Parenting Scotland is holding an online focus group session to discuss whether the current law on cohabitation needs to be reformed. This focus group will feed views into the consultation currently being carried out by the Scottish Law Commission. Discussion will cover what rights you think cohabitants are currently entitled to and what rights cohabitants should be entitled to when their relationship breaks down.

The Scottish Law Commission is a statutory body, established in 1965 with the role and function of making recommendations to the Scottish Government for reform of the law in various areas (whether to clarify, simplify and / or modernise it, as required).

The Family Law Commissioner Kate Dowdalls QC will speak at the focus group about their review of what remedies or rights those who live together in a committed, interdependent and non-platonic relationship (without being married or in a civil partnership) should be entitled to when their relationship ends otherwise than on death, followed by small group discussion on the consultation points.

Full details and a summary of the consultation are available at https://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/law-reform/consultations/

If you are interested in participating in the focus group, there is no need for you to have any prior knowledge of the law in this area, nor for you to read the Discussion Paper (unless you wish to do so). Just bring your own experiences of cohabitation. Views expressed at the focus grouo will be used anonymously by the Scottish Law Commission.

Give your views on cohabitation law