June 2015 – Aquarius Magazine

One of our James Berry & Associates lawyers, Ms Madeleine Mendy was featured in the June (October) 2015 issue of Aquarius Magazine.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON?

The UAE’s laws and customs dictate that couples must be married before they can legally cohabit or have children, with those who are caught risking punishment under strict adultery laws. Does that mean that expat partners are settling down to married life earlier than they would in their home country, or even marrying when they would usually simply cohabit?

“On the whole, I don’t think so,” says Madeleine. “Most of my clients have been married for at least three or four years, and most of them have children. I tend to deal with established businessmen and women who have been married for some time.”

“The average age that people first get married is rising all the time,” adds Helen. “However, regardless of chronological age, are we too young in terms of emotional maturity? Yes, it does appear so!”

See more at: http://aquarius.ae/live-it/relationships/what-s-going-wrong-with-uae-marriages-1.1527293