It is often the case that parties to a divorce do not have the same financial resources at their disposal, for example, one party may have been a stay-at-home parent allowing the other to climb the career ladder to a well paid job. Similarly, one party may have a steady, ready income whereas the other may have money, but that money may not be readily accessible for instance where it is tied up in property.

Family arbitration is a method of resolving a dispute and an alternative to going to court where mediation and /or negotiations between parties, with or without their solicitors, have failed to result in an agreement. A separating couple can use this service perhaps where they have a dispute over finances or over the arrangements regarding the children, following the breakdown of their relationship.

In 2015 cohabiting couple families accounted for 17% of all families in the UK and the percentage of over 16’s who were married decreased to 50.6%. These figures may be explained by an increasing trend for couples to cohabit before marriage or to cohabit instead of marrying at all. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for cohabiting couples to consider their financial position carefully.

Do you know someone who is suffering from domestic violence?

Are you worried about another person - a member of your family, a child, and concerned about experiences they may be having within their family?

What can you do? What should you do?

When entering into a pre-nuptial agreement there are a number of legal issues both parties must consider carefully. Which country they wish for the agreement to be interpreted in (the jurisdiction) and which country’s law should be applied to the agreement (governing law) are two such issues that are fundamental especially as a large proportion of the UK population will choose to live or work abroad at some point in their lives.