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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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When Pensions Blur the Line: Matrimonial and Non-Matrimonial Property in BS v HC [2026] EWFC 20

One of the most difficult — and often misunderstood — areas of financial remedy law is the distinction between matrimonial and non-matrimonial property. That difficulty is magnified when the asset in question is a …
February 5, 2026
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When Conduct Undermines a Prenup: Lessons from Loh v Loh Gronager [2025] EWFC 483

Pre‑nuptial agreements are often presented as the ultimate form of certainty in financial remedy proceedings. Properly drafted, independently advised, and entered into freely, they are intended to provide clarity, limit dispute, and avoid costly …
February 2, 2026
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When Conduct Changes Everything: Fraud, Coercive Control and Financial Penalties

In financial remedy proceedings, the court is famously reluctant to allow “conduct” to influence outcomes. The bar is deliberately set high. Most behaviour — even unpleasant, unfair or morally questionable conduct — is excluded …
January 26, 2026
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Keeping the Peace at Christmas: A Family Lawyer’s Guide to Managing Holiday Pressures

The festive season is often marketed as a time of joy, connection and togetherness. Advertisements promise glowing fires, full tables and effortless family harmony. But for many families — particularly those navigating separation, divorce …
December 23, 2025
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When the Court Can’t Yet Make an Order: Indications of Outcome, Adult Dependent Children and Financial Needs

VP v SP [2025] EWFC 447 (B) is a quietly important reminder of two things family lawyers sometimes take for granted: first, that jurisdiction in financial remedy proceedings is still anchored to decree nisi …
December 19, 2025
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Arbitration, Confidentiality and Court Orders: Lessons from Spencer v Spencer [2025] EWFC 431

Family law arbitration has long been promoted as a private, efficient alternative to litigation. But what happens when an arbitration award collides with parallel High Court proceedings — and the losing party wants to …
December 15, 2025
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When Litigation Conduct Crosses the Line: Lessons from RKV v JWC [2025] EWFC 430 (B)

If family law has a recurring theme, it is this: the financial remedy process works best when both parties engage honestly, promptly and proportionately. When one spouse turns the proceedings into a prolonged, combative …
December 12, 2025
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Parents, AI and Family Courts: What You Need to Know Before Using ChatGPT

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have become part of everyday life. Parents use them for everything from writing emails to getting quick legal explanations. But in family court proceedings, especially care cases, using an …
December 11, 2025
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Fraud, Delay and Final Orders: Lessons from Silberschmidt v Richards [2025] EWHC 2841 (Fam)

Setting aside a final financial order is one of the most serious steps the Family Court can take. It disrupts finality, unravels what the parties thought was settled, and reopens litigation that may have …
December 4, 2025
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Risk, Liquidity and Fairness: Key Lessons from BY v GC (No. 2) [2025] EWFC 397

How should the Family Court divide extremely high-value assets where one spouse’s wealth is tied up in high-risk, illiquid ventures, and the other needs long-term financial stability? In BY v GC (No. 2) [2025] …
December 1, 2025
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When “Set in Stone” Isn’t: Varying Maintenance and Escaping Old Undertakings in ABC v XYZ [2025] EWFC 370 (B)

Many clients think that once a financial order is made on divorce, that’s it forever. ABC v XYZ is a reminder that things are more flexible than that – but also that fighting over …
November 28, 2025
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Liquidity, Needs and Transparency: Key Lessons from NI v AD [2025] EWHC 2997 (Fam)

High-value divorce cases often turn on complex business valuations, competing expert evidence and sharply differing narratives. But in NI v AD [2025] EWHC 2997 (Fam), Mr Justice Trowell had to wrestle with something more …
November 19, 2025
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When the ‘Millionaire’s Defence’ Meets Parental Responsibility: Lessons from MH v FD [2025] EWFC 390

Cases under Schedule 1 of the Children Act often involve young children, unequal finances, and a parent seeking basic security. But MH v FD [2025] EWFC 390, decided by Mr Justin Warshaw KC sitting …
November 18, 2025
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When Time Is Short: Terminal Illness and the Court’s Discretion in Financial Remedy Cases

In OO v QQ [2025] EWFC 310 (B), His Honour Judge Hyde faced one of the most delicate balancing acts in family law: how to achieve fairness when one party is terminally ill. The …
November 11, 2025
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