Cohan and Cohan

In *Cohan and Cohan*, heard before Justice Le Poer Trench, the parties were the mother and father of a child born in December 2003. The dispute concerned arrangements for the child's care, welfare, and development, including living arrangements, time spent with each parent, holiday arrangements, and educational decisions.

The court was required to determine the terms of orders governing the child's upbringing, specifically addressing the allocation of parental responsibility, the schedule for the child spending time with each parent, and provisions for holidays and extracurricular activities. The court also had to consider financial arrangements related to the child's education and communication protocols between the parents.

The court's reasoning, as reflected in the orders, established that the mother would have sole responsibility for making major decisions concerning the child's care, welfare, and development, but was required to consult with the father and consider his views. Detailed schedules were set out for the child to spend time with the father, progressively increasing from Tuesdays and alternate weekends to more substantial periods as the child aged and commenced school. Specific provisions were made for holiday time, including Jewish religious holidays, and for the parents' own holidays with the child. The orders also mandated the child's attendance at specific educational institutions and outlined financial obligations for the father concerning the child's future education at M School, including the establishment of a fund for educational expenses. Communication between the parents was to be primarily via email, with reports on the child's activities to be exchanged weekly. The parties were also directed to utilise mediation and counselling facilities provided by Jewish Care for future disputes.