Elizabeth Hassall and Andrew Scott consider best practice for marital agreements and the consequences of an agreement that fails to properly provide for both parties The pre-nuptial agreement failed the test in Radmacher, as no provision at all was made for the wife so that she would have ‘undoubtedly’ been in a ‘predicament of real …
Continue reading "Marital agreements: Do it well or not at all"
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Katie McCann highlights some of the issues that can arise in high-net-worth financial cases Before deciding on the most appropriate forum for a high-net-worth client, it is best practice to obtain advice from a specialist lawyer in the other potential jurisdictions so as to determine where the client would do ‘best’ in any financial proceedings. …
Continue reading "In practice: Out of the ordinary"
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Anna-Laura Lock and Anisha Patel analyse the courts’ approach to third-party financial support and when the pressure of entering into an agreement may be considered ‘undue’ Peel J noted in WC v HC that the function of the court is to distribute the parties’ resources, rather than the resources of their wider families. In WC …
Continue reading "Nuptial agreements: Keeping it in the family"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Spring 2022 #186H was married to W, and they had a son, T. They all lived in a property in Derbyshire (the property), which was owned by H. While T was a child and H was working abroad, H met M in the Philippines and formed a relationship with her. H and W separated, and W and T moved out of the property and into one owned by W. H retained the property as his home when in the UK. H and M had a child, J, and after that H, M and J moved to live together in the UK, in the property.
W petitioned for a divorce from H and a consent order in the financial remedy proceedings was approved by the judge and...
Emily Finn considers the approach of the courts to choice of law clauses in nuptial agreements If nuptial agreements are usually binding in the parties’ chosen jurisdiction, that should act as a strong indication to the court in England and Wales that parties intend to be bound by the terms, including a choice of law …
Continue reading "Nuptial agreements: Place of preference"
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Nicola Wilburn-Shaw considers issues that may arise in relation to fertility treatment where the parties separate or divorce The courts are not prepared to remove an individual’s right to withdraw their consent as to the use of embryos and the process relating to the provision of consent is not infallible. There has been much media …
Continue reading "Embryology: Tread carefully"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2021 #183The claimant was the former spouse of the deceased. They were divorced in the Southampton County Court and by an order dated 6 May 1982 (the order) it was provided that neither party was entitled to make a claim against the estate of the other under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (1975 Act) unless the parties remarried. Although the parties did not remarry, by the time of the deceased’s death they were living under the same roof. The defendants, who were the two sons and executors of the deceased, denied that the claimant and the de...
Alex Verdan QC and Frankie Shama ask whether the Court of Appeal decision in Haley makes family arbitration, including in children cases, a better option The result in Haley is likely to encourage more couples to refer their disputes to arbitration, and potentially lead to more challenges of arbitral awards by dissatisfied parties. While the …
Continue reading "Arbitration: A wider appeal"
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In the conclusion to a two-part analysis, Fiona Turner and Noel Ferry analyse key differences as to financial provision in Scotland when compared with England and Wales In Scotland, if the value of an asset has crashed post-separation, this is irrelevant when establishing the extent of matrimonial property which should be shared, as will be …
Continue reading "Scotland: Tips and traps"
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David Wilkinson reviews the court’s approach in a case involving conduct, multi-faceted litigation and a family business ‘It is arguable that a “predicament of real need” would be exactly what the husband would have been in had the final order penalised him in terms of his conduct.’ Cohen J’s judgment in TT v CDS [2019] …
Continue reading "Financial provision: Path of destruction"
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