Our client and her fiancé had set the date for their wedding. Neither had been married before or had any children by a previous relationship. They were both young, working, very much in love and planning to have a family together.
Our client owned several properties, acquired before she met her partner. She had some concerns that, if the marriage were to fail in the future, she might end up having to share these with her partner, who had no matching contribution to make to their marital assets. On a practical level, our client wanted to ensure that she would keep the properties.
We advised her to enter into a Pre-Nuptial Agreement, through which her partner agreed that the respective assets brought into the marriage should be treated as separate in the event of separation and divorce, and she went ahead with this.
As they were planning to start a family, bearing in mind the changes this would bring, we advised that the agreement should provide for planned reviews at periodic intervals and in other agreed circumstances. This will ensure that in the event of future scrutiny by the Court, the Pre-Nuptial Agreement will have the best possible chances of withstanding a challenge.
