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Love, Money and the Law: When Does a Relationship Create Legal Rights?

Most couples don’t think of their relationship in legal terms. They share holidays, split bills (or don’t), and trust that things will “even out” over time. But what happens when the relationship ends — …
April 16, 2026
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30 Years as a Family Law Solicitor: Reflections on Practice, Change and the Future

On 15 April 1996, I qualified as a solicitor. Thirty years later, it feels like an appropriate moment to pause and reflect on a journey that has been both challenging and immensely rewarding. During …
April 15, 2026
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Sham Trusts, Family Money and Divorce: When the Court Looks Behind the Paperwork

Financial remedy cases often involve more than just dividing assets between spouses. Increasingly, they draw in wider family members, informal arrangements, and documents that do not always say what they appear to say. The …
April 7, 2026
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Estoppel and the Family Home: When “It’s Yours” Becomes Legally Binding

Family law is often thought of as formal—orders, statutes, and written agreements. But some of the most powerful outcomes arise from something far less formal: what people say, what they allow, and what others …
March 26, 2026
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When a Prenup Gives More Than “Needs”: A Quiet but Important Shift – A v Z [2026] EWHC 654

The recent decision in A v Z [2026] EWHC 654 (Fam) offers a fascinating addition to the modern law on prenuptial agreements. At first glance, it appears orthodox: the court upheld a prenup. But …
March 25, 2026
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Selling the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs: JV v MV 2025 EWFC 234

When the Family Court considers forcing the sale of a successful business One of the most difficult questions in financial remedy cases arises when most of the parties’ wealth is tied up in a …
March 23, 2026
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Family Gifts, Non-Disclosure and Divorce: Lessons from a Recent Court of Appeal Case

Financial remedy cases often turn on one fundamental principle: full and frank disclosure. Without a clear picture of the parties’ finances, the court cannot achieve a fair outcome. A recent Court of Appeal decision, …
March 19, 2026
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When Do Non-Matrimonial Assets Become Matrimonial? Transfers Between Spouses Under the Microscope in RRE v JPR [2026] EWFC 7

One of the more nuanced issues in financial remedy cases concerns the status of non-matrimonial property—particularly where assets originally owned by one party are later transferred into the other spouse’s name or into joint …
March 16, 2026
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When Is a Marriage Not a Marriage? The Problem of “Non-Qualifying Ceremonies”

Most people assume they know when they are married. There was a ceremony, family attended, photographs were taken, and life moved on. But in law, the answer can sometimes be very different. A recent …
March 12, 2026
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Can a Divorce Be “Undone”? Lessons from a Case About Setting Aside a Final Order

Divorce lawyers often focus on finances and children, but sometimes the legal mechanics of divorce itself become the battleground. A recent Family Court decision, Labeja v Estate of Shatochina Labeja & Anor [2026] EWFC …
March 9, 2026
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False Prenups, Hidden Assets and an Art Collection: Lessons from a Complex Divorce Case

Financial remedy cases often involve difficult factual disputes, but KMR v AER is a particularly striking example. The judgment touches on several recurring themes in modern family litigation: the validity of nuptial agreements, non-disclosure …
March 6, 2026
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Set Aside Applications in Divorce: When Will the Court Unwind a Transaction?

Financial remedy proceedings often involve a careful reconstruction of the parties’ financial positions. But what happens when one spouse appears to have moved assets out of reach before the court can deal with them? …
March 5, 2026
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When “It’s Our House” Isn’t So Simple: Beneficial Ownership, Parents and Property in Divorce

In Archer v Archer & Ors [2026] EWHC 468 (Fam), the High Court allowed a wife’s appeal against a finding that her husband’s parents were the beneficial owners of a property which, on its …
March 5, 2026
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When Experience Isn’t Enough: Litigants in Person, Representation and the Reality of Financial Remedy Litigation

The recent decision in XX v GH [2026] EWFC 51 (B) is not, on its face, about divorce settlements or asset division. Instead, it addresses a technical — but hugely significant — issue: Who …
March 4, 2026
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Costs in Financial Remedy Proceedings: When “No Order” Becomes a £275,000 Bill

Costs in financial remedy proceedings are often described as the exception rather than the rule. The starting point under FPR 2010 r.28.3 is clear: no order as to costs. But as the recent decision …
February 20, 2026
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When “50/50” Isn’t Equal: Pensions, Needs and the Myth of Forensic Accounting

The decision in JK v LM [2026] EWFC 32 is a quietly instructive reminder of how the Family Court actually approaches fairness in a mid-range “needs” case — and why arguments about micro-accounting, add-backs and …
February 18, 2026
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Overseas Divorce, English Property: 90% of the Home to the Wife

The recent decision in Fisayo Olaoluwa Awolowo v Olusegun Samuel Awolowo is a striking reminder of the power of the English court to intervene financially following a foreign divorce — and of how decisive …
February 17, 2026
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Lifestyle vs. Disclosure – When the Numbers Don’t Add Up: Lessons from MK v SK [2026] EWFC 28

The recent decision in MK v SK is a striking reminder of three enduring principles in financial remedy litigation: The duty of full and frank disclosure is absolute. The court is entitled – and …
February 13, 2026
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Litigation Funding That Actually Works: Lessons from DR v ES on Legal Services Payment Orders

Legal Services Payment Orders (LSPOs) are often spoken about as a remedy of last resort. In practice, they can be the difference between a party being able to litigate at all — or being …
February 10, 2026
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Farming, Partnerships and Divorce: When the Farm Isn’t a Matrimonial Asset – T v T [2025] EWFC 395

Farming cases occupy a distinctive corner of family law. Assets are often valuable, illiquid, generational, and emotionally charged. Add informal business structures, historic accounting practices and land held within families for decades, and it …
February 9, 2026
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Big changes to Family Court preparation from March 2026 – what you need to know

From Monday 2 March 2026, the Family Court is introducing the most significant overhaul of case‑preparation rules in years. A new Practice Direction 27A (PD27A) replaces the old guidance on court bundles and applies …
February 6, 2026
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