Matrimonial

The breakup of a marriage or civil partnership can be traumatic. Whether you are fortunate enough to be able to agree matters with your spouse or civil partner, or whether there are issues outstanding regarding the finances or children, you need reassurance that your interests will be looked after by an experienced and sympathetic solicitor. We can advise and guide you through the process of divorce and ancillary relief.

Many of the issues facing married or civil partnered couples also apply to unmarried co-habiting couples. The law, however, is not applied to co-habiting couples in the same way. In particular co-habitees do not have the same protection and rights when it comes to the couple's assets. As a result many co-habiting couples choose to enter into a co-habitation agreement, particularly if they buy a house together, in order to protect their interests should they part company in the future. We can advise you with regard to a co-habitation agreement, or should you split up from your co-habitee, your rights and obligations.

There has been a lot of discussion recently about pre-nuptial agreements. Although these have been around for a long time, they are now becoming increasingly important in clarifying a couple's financial arrangements before marriage, to avoid disputes or misunderstandings later. We are finding that these agreements are of particular interest to couples where one or both of them have been married or civil partnered before, or where one party has greater capital assets than the other (or has been helped financially by a parent or other family member). It is also possible to make a post-nuptial agreement (ie an agreement between a couple after they are married or civil partnered) which can be useful in certain circumstances.

We offer a free initial half hour consultation in respect of any family matter, including pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements.

For further information, please contact (Direct Dial: 01242 258227).