Newcastle and Hexham’s Top Divorce and Family Law Specialist, Lucinda Connell states the Telegraph has reported that family law firms have seen ‘a surge of interest’ in pre-nuptial agreements since the publication of the Law Commission’s report on Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements which recommended the enforceability of such agreements.
The Telegraph report refers to one firm which has seen a 50 per cent rise in inquiries about pre-nuptial agreements.
Divorce lawyers have reported a large wave of interest in pre-nuptial agreements amid signs that they could soon be legally binding in England and Wales. One law firm reported a 50 per cent rise in inquiries about the agreements, which allow couples to decide in advance how they would divide up their assets if they separated.
It follows a landmark report from the Law Commission, the Government’s adviser on legal reform, recommending the introduction of a form of marital agreement in a wider overhaul of the divorce system.
Lawyers say the move could help take some of the acrimony out of marital breakdown but others, including church leaders, have warned that encouraging couples to plan for divorce before they are even married could harm relationships.
A move towards recognising so-called pre-nups or post-nups – similar agreements for those who are already married – in England and Wales has been under way since the landmark Supreme Court case of the German heiress, Katrin Radmache, in 2010.