Family, divorce, pre-nuptial agreements & children

Our highly rated team of family and divorce lawyers advises on all areas of family and matrimonial law. Our work commonly involves advising UK and international individuals on marital and relationship issues, where discretion is essential.

Our work is often complex, involving international issues and trusts, as well as tax and pension considerations. We are integrated within the Private Client team to deliver an informed and high-quality service.

We have considerable experience in advising on wealth protection issues, including pre-and post-nuptial/registration agreements, cohabitation, civil partnerships and trusts.

All of our lawyers are members of Resolution (formerly Solicitors Family Association) and are committed to helping clients achieve a fair result whether through solicitor negotiation, mediation, collaborative law or the courts.

Liaising with our Trusts & Estate Disputes team, we also act for onshore and offshore trustees in connection with English family proceedings and the enforcement of any awards against them by English courts.

Our family and divorce lawyers are known for their sophisticated, pragmatic and humane approach towards issues concerning relationship breakdown and wealth protection.

Experience

Divorce
Acting for the wife of an ultra-high net-worth individual in divorce and financial proceedings. The husband was primarily based in a foreign jurisdiction and had interests in four others, as well as a large and complex structure of offshore trusts and companies.

Divorce
Acting for a highly successful businessman in his divorce. The marital assets, which were valued at many millions of pounds, included several properties, extensive and valuable antiques and other chattels, pensions and both listed and unlisted shares.

Jurisdiction
Acting in stay proceedings for a high-net-worth individual whose spouse had issued divorce proceedings in England. A non-EU jurisdiction was more appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

Representing trustees
Acting for offshore trustees joined to ancillary relief proceedings before the English court. We gave detailed advice on submission to the jurisdiction and reconciled it with advice from the offshore jurisdiction before representing the clients pragmatically to protect their interests.

Children
Representing a father on his application for contact with his children, the elder of whom had become estranged from him following his separation from the mother. This case saw the involvement of social services.

Pre-nuptial agreement
Advising, drafting and concluding a pre-nuptial agreement for a client and his fiancée. Involved multiple jurisdictions and nine-figure assets which were distributed among various offshore trust and company structures and which included a high proportion of wealth emanating from the client's family.

Post-nuptial agreement
Acting for a high-net-worth individual in the conclusion of a post-nuptial settlement designed to deal with the financial consequences of a possible divorce, enabling the parties to focus on trying to save the marriage.

Financial provision for a child
Acting for a parent with care of a child in a claim for financial provision. The non-resident parent was a successful international executive with a very significant annual net income. We were able to negotiate appropriate maintenance and find intelligent, tax-efficient ways to provide accomodation for the child.

International
Acting for an international client to review his pre-existing foreign pre-nuptial agreement and to advise upon the likely implications were there to be English divorce proceedings.