Suzanne Todd and Luca Del Panta examine the future of pre-nups in the light of the Law Commission’s report ‘“Needs” in the context of a pre-nuptial agreement can be significantly less than they would otherwise be. But where the guillotine falls in any given case is intensely fact-specific.’ When, in October 2010, the Supreme Court …
Continue reading "Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Turning of the tide"
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Rebecca Stone reviews the case law relating to family businesses and the differing approaches taken by the courts to such assets ‘In F v F (clean break: balance of fairness) [2003] the judge accepted that where some of the assets are illiquid it may not be possible to achieve either the aim of equality or …
Continue reading "Family Businesses: The golden goose"
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Mark Harper and Will MacFarlane discuss M v M, which has lessons on attacking real estate held by offshore companies ‘Both Prest and M v M are examples of the Family Division having to apply complex principles of property law.’ For those who advise clients as to how to structure the purchase of UK real …
Continue reading "Trusts And Divorce: Striving for a fair result?"
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Ellie Foster sets out the implications of any gaps in a marital agreement and the importance of needs in big money ‘The marriage settlement could be disregarded as it did not provide secure English housing for the wife nor did it prevent a claim for maintenance’. The decision of Moor J in AH v PH …
Continue reading "Marital Agreements: Re-opening the door"
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Jane Booth analyses the factors the courts will take into account when considering non-matrimonial assets ‘When considering the division of assets, where the assets are neither matrimonial assets nor jointly generated by the parties, the duration of the marriage might be a significant factor in the determination of the distribution.’ The decision in G v …
Continue reading "Non-Matrimonial Assets: A question of inclusion"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | January/February 2014 #136The appellant, who was in her mid-80s and in poor health, was the widow of the deceased who had died on 26 June 2005. Both parties had children by previous marriages, and were together for 36 years. The deceased’s estate totalled approximately £7.5m and consisted of a large matrimonial home in Surrey, a half share in a property in Arizona, three properties in London and a controlling holding of shares in a property development company. By his last will (the will) the deceased, after appointing the appellant and his two sons to be executors and trustees, gave his share in the property in ...
Sonny Patel sets out the courts’ approach to inherited assets and steps that can be taken to protect the interests of parties ‘The duration of the marriage, and the duration of the time the wealth had been enjoyed by the parties, will be relevant, so too their standard of living and the extent to which …
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Prest shows that family judges must uphold company law when considering what constitutes the matrimonial pot, as James Copson discusses Where Family Division judges have fallen into error time and again has been their reliance on what Cumming-Bruce LJ referred to as ‘abundant authority’ in Nicholas that the veil can be lifted if there are …
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Helen Waite and Victoria Ward outline issues of jurisdiction and options when dealing with a divorce with an international element Generally, financial relief in the USA tends to be more generous to non-working wives than in most European countries (with the exception of England and Wales), especially in states which operate the community of property …
Continue reading "International Focus: Forum decisions"
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Catherine Morgan looks at the government plans for same-sex marriage and compares them with civil partnership and opposite-sex marriage There is separate terminology used for the creation, existence and dissolution of civil partnerships (compared to marriages) that suggests a more stark contrast than indicated by an analysis of the legal protections and frameworks in place. …
Continue reading "Same-Sex Marriage: Same difference?"
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