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SJEs Still Stand: A Reaffirmation of Daniels v Walker and the Proper Use of Expert Evidence

In the world of family law financial remedies, expert evidence can make or break a case. But who gets to call the expert—and what happens when one party disagrees with the conclusions? The recent …
July 25, 2025
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When Does Conduct Matter? Two Recent Cases Clarify the Rules in Financial Remedies

Conduct arguments in financial remedy cases are famously hard to win. The bar is high, the principles are narrow, and the courts are cautious. But two recent decisions—MRU v ECR [2025] EWFC 218 (B) …
July 22, 2025
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When Disclosure Fails and Borders Blur: Family Law Challenges in PZ v ZD

In PZ v ZD [2025] EWFC 171 (B), Deputy District Judge Gwynfor Evans faced a case that was modest in financial scale but immense in evidential and procedural complexity. It illustrates how procedural diligence …
July 16, 2025
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Too Late to Wait: When Non-Compliance Justifies Setting Aside a Pension Sharing Order

In AP v TP [2025] EWFC 190 (B), His Honour Judge Farquhar delivered a pointed and practical judgment showing that while final orders are meant to be just that—final—there are limits to judicial patience, …
July 15, 2025
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Set Aside Under Pressure: When Billion-Pound Deals Unravel in Divorce

In PN v SA [2025] EWFC 141, the Family Court delivered a landmark judgment in what is believed to be the third-largest financial remedy case in English legal history. Behind the billion-pound headlines lies …
July 14, 2025
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When Trusts Become Trouble: Family Business, Dispositions, and the Cost of Conflict

In BM v MB & Ors [2025] EWFC 129, Fiona Hay (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) presided over a case that had it all: dynastic business assets, disputed share transfers, intergenerational family …
June 30, 2025
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Can You Strike It Out? M v B and the Limits of Summary Justice in Family Law

When is a bad application so hopeless that it can be struck out without a full hearing? That question lies at the heart of M v B [2025] EWFC 182, a case that dives …
June 27, 2025
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Dissipation in a Modest Pot: Add-Back in MNV v CNV [2025] EWFC 176 (B)

When we think of asset dissipation and the “add-back” principle, we often picture yachts, casinos, or private jets. But in MNV v CNV [2025] EWFC 176 (B), Deputy District Judge Bradshaw dealt with these …
June 23, 2025
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When “No” Means the Court Says It for You: DH v RH and the Power to Sign

In DH v RH [2025] EWFC 175, Mr Justice MacDonald delivered a powerful message to recalcitrant litigants in financial remedy cases: refusal to cooperate doesn’t stop the court—it just means the court steps in …
June 20, 2025
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Disclosure or Detention? A Stark Warning from Ozturk v Ozturk

In Ozturk v Ozturk [2025] EWFC 162 (B), Her Honour Judge Moreton handed down a judgment that should ring loud alarm bells for any party tempted to ignore court orders in divorce proceedings. This …
June 18, 2025
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When Child Maintenance Crosses Borders : CA v UK

In CA v UK [2025] EWFC 117 (B), His Honour Judge Watkins delivered a sharp, thoughtful decision on an increasingly familiar scenario: how and where to resolve international child maintenance disputes when parents, assets, …
June 16, 2025
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Disclosure, Costs, and Fairness in OS v DT

In OS v DT [2025] EWFC 156 (B), His Honour Judge Edward Hess presided over a high-net-worth financial remedy dispute that, beneath its glittering spreadsheets and asset schedules, boiled down to something less glamorous—but …
June 13, 2025
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When Borrowing Blurs the Lines: Can a Mortgage Make a Gifted Property Matrimonial?

In C v C [2025] EWFC 152 (B), Recorder Christopher Stirling tackled a complex and increasingly common issue in modern financial remedy proceedings: what happens when a party borrows against non-matrimonial property for matrimonial …
June 12, 2025
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Expert Evidence in Divorce: When Is One Report Not Enough?

In financial remedy proceedings, expert valuation of businesses can make or break a case. But what happens when one party no longer agrees with the expert they jointly instructed? That was the question at …
June 11, 2025
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Set Aside or Sit Tight? When Market Shifts Don’t Justify Reopening Financial Orders

In X v Y [2025] EWFC 144 (B), District Judge Stone delivered a forensic and educational judgment on a topic that regularly vexes family lawyers: can a final financial remedy order be reopened or …
May 29, 2025
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Unequal but Fair: When the Breadwinner Pays the Price in Divorce

In GR v AR [2025] EWFC 143 (B), His Honour Judge Edward Hess handed down a comprehensive judgment that serves as a reminder: the sharing principle may start at 50:50, but it doesn’t always …
May 23, 2025
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“Covert Recordings, Public Consequences” — What Family Lawyers Need to Know About the New FJC Guidance (May 2025)

In May 2025, the Family Justice Council (FJC) released long-awaited guidance on covert recordings in family proceedings concerning children. As Sir Andrew McFarlane acknowledges in the foreword, this is a “growing area for the …
May 20, 2025
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The Sham That Wasn’t? When Debts and Divorce Collide in Family Law

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Awolowo v Awolowo and Linkserve [2025] EWCA Civ 641 is a masterclass in forensic scrutiny of alleged debts in financial remedy proceedings. It also serves as a reminder …
May 19, 2025
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What Is Maintenance Pending Suit – And Should I Apply?

If you're separating from your spouse and struggling financially, you may have heard about something called Maintenance Pending Suit or MPS. But what is it, and when is it actually worth applying for? What …
May 16, 2025
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Top-Up Child Maintenance in HNW Cases: Where Lifestyle Meets Logic

For family lawyers advising high-net-worth clients, the concept of “top-up” child maintenance is often one of the most contested elements in financial proceedings. The decision in James v Seymour [2023] EWHC 844 (Fam) adds …
May 15, 2025
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Tying Up Loose Ends: THR v WAT and the Realities of High-Net-Worth Divorce

In THR v WAT [2025] EWHC 1125 (Fam), His Honour Judge Hess was faced with the unenviable task of transforming a multi-million-pound Xydhias agreement into a final financial remedy order—navigating disputed terms, hidden costs, …
May 14, 2025
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