Recent News & Insight
Family Law news and other Social Media content from Penny & Mike.
Unveiling International Assets: A Family Law Courtroom Tale of Cross-Border Asset Recovery
#2 in a series of commentaries from the family law Courtroom. No names obviously, but a focus on the mechanics of many cases, which makes this experienced family lawyer despair of the system. SCENARIO: Husband holds assets abroad? All is not lost! In one recent case,...
Family Law Courtroom Chronicles: The Reality of Financial Orders in Divorce
#1 in a series of commentaries from the family law Courtroom. No names obviously, but a focus on the mechanics of many cases, which makes this experienced family lawyer despair of the system. FACT: Judges base their financial orders after a long marriage on the...
My husband has control of all the money -how can I challenge him in our divorce?
Eleanor was devastated when her husband of 30 years told her that he wanted a divorce. As a stay-at-home mum of four now adult children, she had been devoted to the home and family management as well as organising the inevitable social life which came with her husband...
Is a divorce lawyer worth it?
Now that we have online no-fault divorce - why do you need a divorce lawyer? That’s just what Mat thought when he separated from his wife of 20 years. He expected to be able to do it all easily online in a few months. But it didn’t work out that way. He didn’t realise...
Getting to a fair deal in divorce – even when you think that’s impossible
Everyone wants their divorce to be as painless as possible. But they also want a fair deal. How do you square that circle if you know nothing about the finances or one of you insists they have a right to more than seems fair, or the children’s needs seem to be...
Possession is not 9/10 of the law in divorce!
You do not automatically lose your rights over the family home if you move out. Particularly where property is owned by both or either of you, your name on the title, or a matrimonial home rights notice registered at the Land Registry, will protect your position until...
Limited companies do not ring fence invested assets in divorce!
The family court will look at all assets, including the realisable income and capital value of any investment in a limited company when deciding upon a financial order in divorce proceedings. But the valuation must be fair and is best assessed by a neutral accountant....
Doing the Deal in Divorce
Getting the best result for clients in divorce finance cases is not about choosing negotiation OR court proceedings. It can be about using both to force clear and comprehensive disclosure of finances, on a timetable set by the court, at the same time as negotiating...
Deciding to retire early – how does that affect pensions in divorce cases?
Let's look at 2 hypothetical cases. Mr and Mrs Smith decided not to invest in pensions. They bought Buy to Let properties as investments for their retirement, and at the date of their separation, these were worth a net equity of £750,000. Mr and Mrs Jones invested...