A public and bitter divorce battle, there is another way

“Embroiled in a bitter divorce battle” “estranged wife wins bitter £1.4m divorce battle…”

We have all read the tabloid headlines as another super-rich or celebrity marriage ends. High-profile divorce cases come with their own unique issues (scrutiny by the public and media and complex assets to start with) but they do not have to end in a bitter, drawn out, not to mention expensive, court case.

We asked Julian Hawkhead, Senior Partner, to join us on the blog to look at alternative options to help high-profile couples keep their marriage and their business out of the public domain.

This weekend I read how a certain celebrity baker and his estranged wife were destined for a courtroom showdown.

According to the article, friends of Mrs Alex Hollywood said that she was finding the whole process of divorcing her husband Paul exhausting and conflicts over money distressing. No doubt a feeling shared by both parties involved.

There are plenty of salacious rumours around the causes of the marriage breaking down, allegations of scenes in car parks and abuse being thrown around. None of this is unusual, anger is a key stage of the grieving process and to vent emotion is healthier than bottling it up. It enables you to move on with your own life. It is, of course, difficult when every incident, every alleged insult thrown is aired in the public domain.

However, what particularly caught my eye was the suggestion that mediation had failed, and the couple were destined to end up in Court. Another newspaper reported it would be an “epic court showdown”. Now I don’t tend to rely on this media source for a true account of what is happening in the world.  However, what disappointed me but did not surprise me, was that the media appeared to present the stark choices of mediation or an epic courtroom battle. Whereas this is simply not true and there are lots of different options available.

Any divorce litigation is exhausting, expensive and often acrimonious. Lawyers are trained to seek solutions but when agreements cannot be reached, the next step is to achieve your desired outcome in an arena where somebody else, most commonly a Judge, decides that outcome for you.

So, you embark on building your case, identifying issues where you can discredit the other party, sling enough mud and some of it is bound to stick and gather evidence that supports your arguments that what you are asking the Judge to decide upon is perfectly reasonable.

It can turn into a war of attrition, trench warfare where you are firing your best weapons at each other and it can sometimes get you the result you wanted. However, if you are media-worthy it will be ventilated, warts and all, in the public domain.

So, what other options exist where a negotiated settlement seems to have hit a wall?

Firstly, there are private FDRs but what is an FDR?

An FDR is a Financial Dispute Resolution hearing which divorce couples would usually come upon if they found themselves in financial court proceedings because of their divorce.

At this hearing, a Judge will:

(1) consider all proposals made by both parties, even those made on a without prejudice (or private and off the record) basis

(2) listen to any further arguments in support of each party’s proposals

(3) will encourage both parties to put their cards on the table to identify what the issues are, what is and is not agreed and consider compromise as a better course of action to facing further costs and uncertainty

(4) express a view to both parties as to what the FDR Judge considers would be the outcome if the case was to be decided at a final hearing. This view is not a binding decision, it is merely an expression of an opinion, albeit carrying the gravitas of coming from a Judge. This should help the parties entrenched firmly in the view that they must be right, reach an agreed settlement.

These FDR hearings are what can otherwise be called Early Neutral Evaluations.

Early – because the intervention is at the earliest stage in a Court process once all the facts and figures are known (and importantly before a final hearing when a Judge does make a binding decision on both parties);

Neutral because that is what any Judge is expected to be and when you have two lawyers jousting and pronouncing that they are right, fair and reasonable and the other party is wrong then you need somebody neutral to help give an independent evaluation or assessment of what is a fair outcome.

However, avid readers of all things family justice will be aware that the Court system is under pressure. There are long delays in waiting for hearings in many Courts. Sure, there are reforms on the horizon particularly with the specialist Family Court programme that is being rolled out but will this succeed on a national level or will we just see pockets of success.

There is the risk in the meantime that the Judge you come before for your FDR is not an experienced family lawyer. They may have practised in a completely different area of law when they were a solicitor or barrister before becoming a Judge so their experience and ability to give you an informed opinion may be based on limited knowledge of the relevant law.

That is the context of FDR hearings within the Court system. Private FDRs involves the same process, but you go private, you pay for an experienced lawyer, often either a retired senior Judge or a practising senior barrister or solicitor to conduct the FDR hearing for you.

The venue is not a courtroom but a place of your choosing, it might be the barrister’s chambers or the lawyer’s offices or a completely neutral venue such as a dedicated meeting room or a hotel. Whatever the option, it is infinitely more comfortable than being in a Court building surrounded by other litigants.

You also get as much time as you want. Your Private FDR Judge will dedicate their entire day to your case, giving you as much time to negotiate as you want or as much time in the hearing as you need.  In the Court system, you are constrained by opening and closing times and by the fact that the Judge has a full list of other cases to get through leaving your time restricted.

In some courts, one often finds several FDR hearings listed at the same time in the hope that some will settle easily. This leaves the Judge to juggle a number of cases, all with different facts and figures where their ability to give the matter full attention is then naturally impaired.

Most importantly the private FDR is private, it is away from the public gaze. One often finds the media wandering around the Central Family Court in London looking for a story or you run the risk of other litigants in Court seeing you. A Private FDR gives you a truly confidential and safe place to sort out your issues with the other party. You are paying for it but with that, you get a better-quality experience, and this must increase the prospects of you reaching a financial agreement.

In the next instalment, Julian will look at arbitration, another route to resolving divorce financial issues in private.

The post A public and bitter divorce battle, there is another way appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Julian Hawkhead

Coping with divorce and depression

Marriage break-ups can often be followed by periods of depression and anxiety for divorcing husbands and wives.

And no wonder. The end of a long-term relationship can spark a range of emotions and fears for the future. It is important to remember that this is completely normal. You will have good days and bad days, just as everyone else does.

Below, we have detailed five tips that will help you to build resilience to navigate the process of separation. And remember, marriage takes two, and if one person is unhappy the other will suffer. Try to shift your thinking from “it’s the end of the world” to “it’s the beginning of the new.”

Feel your feelings

Feeling emotions helps you deal with them. It’s completely natural to feel sad, disappointed, angry, scared… sometimes all in one hour. Do not shy away from them. Burying these feelings leads to bitterness and you will not move forward. Don’t carry the undealt negative emotions into the next stage of your life.

Stop thinking you are a failure

Divorce can rock your self-esteem and self-worth.  Whatever the circumstances, you will ask yourself, what went wrong? Was it my fault? Am I not good enough? However, remember this is your bruised confidence talking. Of course, your self-esteem takes a hit when a relationship ends, but the way to fill the hole left by divorce is through acceptance of and kindness to yourself.  Learn to believe in you again.

Surround yourself with support

Identify your support network and talk to them.  This is the best way to stop yourself from becoming isolated. Connect with friends and family who are supportive and boost your mood. This is not the time for judgement. Often people who have been through a break-up themselves and know what you are going through can offer useful advice.

If you prefer to talk to people you do not know, then seek out a counsellor or local support group. There is a list of useful contact numbers at the end of this article.

Meet a new side of you

You are no less by being single. You are just not part of a couple which is okay.  Often, in a long-term relationship, you can lose a part of your identity which is normal, but you were your own person before and you will be again. Think about what you like doing but stopped because married life took over. Return to them again, or think about what you have always wanted to do and give it a try.

Be kind to yourself

Take time to do something purely for you. Think about what you enjoy, such as a long walk, a soak in the bath, get out running, practice yoga, read a book or bake for friends and family. Also, remember to cover the basics: eat well, get plenty of sleep and rest when you need to.

Getting help for depression

If you’re struggling with the emotional aspects of separation and are concerned about depression and anxiety there are some useful contacts below. Please do seek professional help and support.

Mind Information, advice and support on all aspects of mental health

0300 123 3393

NHS Provides information on what depression is, its causes, how to spot the signs, where to get help, and treatment.

Samaritans Provides confidential emotional support for those experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including suicidal feelings.

116 123 (Freephone number)

SANE A national helpline offering emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness.

0300 304 7000

Hopeline UK Non-judgmental support and advice for children and people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Call: 0800 068 41 41 / Text: 0778 620 9697

The post Coping with divorce and depression appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Stowe Family Law

A clean break conditional on a Jewish religious divorce – right or wrong?

As a Jewish businessman criticises the Family Court for putting him in a catch-22 situation that allegedly traps him between family law and religious law, Julian Hawkhead, Senior Partner joins us on the blog to look at the case in more detail.

“A recent article in the press told of a Jewish “property millionaire” husband Mr Alan Moher who was denied a clean break by the Court. This left him required to pay his wife, Mrs Caroline Moher, ongoing maintenance despite her being awarded £1.6m until he granted his wife a Get (Jewish religious divorce). He protested to the Court of Appeal that he was being discriminated by being denied the clean break because he had religious faith-based objections to granting his wife the Get.

The decision of the Court of Appeal is awaited but the article throws up some interesting questions. Why should the Court make a clean break award conditional upon the husband granting his wife the religious divorce she seeks? Why should money and the full legal and religious termination of the marriage go hand in hand?

A Get is a Jewish certificate of divorce granted by the husband to his wife which will permit her to remarry in a Jewish religious ceremony and returns her rights to her that a husband holds on marriage. It is essential to a woman who holds Orthodox Jewish beliefs. A Get must be given of the husband’s free will.

In this case, the husband has argued that the conditional discharge of a maintenance order upon him granting his wife a Get means that he is not acting of his own free will. As a result, he does not consider the Jewish religious authorities would accept the Get he presented as valid in any event.

According to the article, the husband’s counsel Brent Molyneux QC was quoted as saying that the Get “is something which has to be given freely, after financial ties between the parties have come to an end” and “ The husband is thus left in a position where, due to the element of compulsion placed on him by the order of the court, he is unable to grant a valid Get.” By way of a summary of the husband’s case he said: “It is wrong for the wife to receive a financial benefit and the husband a financial penalty by virtue of their religious beliefs.”

However, was this just clever wordplay? Religious divorces are not rare. The pronouncement of a Decree Absolute is the certificate of the Courts of England and Wales that the marriage has been legally dissolved. However, in certain faiths and indeed in some countries, a legal certificate of divorce is not enough to fully dissolve all marital links between husband and wife. The Get is one such example.

Why then is a religious divorce withheld in this way? It can be for several different reasons. In some instances, the party who withholds the issuing of the religious divorce has such fundamental beliefs based on their religion that they feel a marriage cannot be ended. So, whilst they can do nothing ultimately to stop the legal divorce, if the ability to grant the religious divorce remains within their power then they will hold onto it. This will prevent their spouse from being able to remarry within the same faith in the future.

Sometimes withholding has financial motives:  that the spouse who could grant it uses their ability to do so, to try to secure a better financial settlement knowing that their spouse is so desperate for the religious divorce that they would make financial sacrifices to obtain it. Others are just being obstructive, knowing it will cause their spouse the most amount of upset.

In other situations, when it is the husband who wants the legal divorce, but the wife is concerned that he will not grant the Get or another religious divorce, it is possible for the Court to make an order holding up the pronouncement of Decree Absolute until that religious divorce has been granted.

Charlotte Newman, Solicitor from the Stowe Family Law office in Leeds office comments

“It is true to say that the Orthodox Jewish divorce law, rests power with the man. However, the Beth Din have, and continue to work with many women being denied a Get and unable to move on with their lives.

These women have often been termed ‘Agunot,’ which translates to chained women. The effects of being in this situation can be more far-reaching than being unable to remarry within the faith; the children of the new marriage may also find themselves in difficulty marrying in an Orthodox Synagogue.

As such, the Beth Din has seen the refusal of a husband to provide a Get a form of abuse and caseworkers work with wives to ‘unchain’ them, allowing them to live freely. I personally second this view and (reluctantly) agree that a financial consequence may be the only way to ensure that the husband, in this case, stops using religion to justify his behaviour and perhaps as a wider issue, distract the court from his other behaviour within the proceedings”.

There will be different opinions on the husband’s motives, the wife’s counsel Sally Harrison QC indicated that the option to link the termination of the husband’s maintenance obligations with the granting of a Get was the option of last resort. He had been asked to simply promise to the Court that he would do so, and he had apparently refused. This would suggest that the husband’s account of his reasons for not granting the Get are disingenuous however the Court of Appeal is yet to make its own determination.

What we do see here though is that the Court will do what it can to support the vulnerable party, accepting creative ways to protect them or ensure that they get what they need to secure an autonomous future for themselves.

The issue over the Get is part of a wider appeal made by the husband against the financial award made in favour of his wife. Indeed, the quantum of the maintenance order of £1,850 is small amount when compared to the costs the parties will have incurred in proceeding to the Court of Appeal (probably running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds) in which case why is this issue even being pursued.

Looking at the wider commentary on the case it would seem the husband had failed to provide financial disclosure or to co-operate with the Court process. As a result, it was not possible to get a full picture of his financial resources. Nevertheless, the husband claims that the award of £1.6m represents 85% of the overall wealth.

But is this true? The husband’s conduct was described as “appalling and contemptuous”. Such dishonest behaviour never finds favour with the Court and I cannot count the number of people who have thought they could mislead the Court by hiding or transferring assets and failing. Dishonesty is probably the worst trait to take into Court with you as it tarnishes everything you try to persuade the Court about. I suspect that this is another litigant who has tried and failed.

We have a team of expert lawyers who specialise in untangling complex financial situations and dealing with difficult divorce scenarios. If any of the issues I have commented on in this article affect you, whether it is a dishonest spouse, or you are stuck in a marriage and do not know what your options are to get out of it, do get in touch with me to discuss your situation.”

The post A clean break conditional on a Jewish religious divorce – right or wrong? appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Julian Hawkhead

Get the balance right with shared parenting

When a couple decides to separate, one of the most important decisions to make is how much time each parent spends with the children. So, we asked Kaleel Anwar, Senior Solicitor from our Manchester office to join us to look at how you can balance your working life with shared parenting.

“The term ‘custody’ is now redundant in law, despite it still appearing in the media, and instead more flexible, shared parenting solutions are preferred.

But there is still a lot of misconception about this area and I work with many clients who have made assumptions that their job, business or even gender will hinder their ability to co-parent.

Courts favour the mother

I frequently hear from clients that the law is “in favour of the mother”. This is simply not true.

There is absolutely no discrimination on the basis of gender by the Courts when determining whether a mother or father would be better suited to caring for their children either during the school week or spending quality time with them during the weekends.

Your business vs your children

I have worked on a number of cases where my clients are of the view that being a business owner, which demands long working hours, is going to act to their detriment if they find themselves in the hands of the Court.

The reality is this is far from the truth.  You do not need to choose between running a business or spending time with your children. In fact, the law is tailored to ensure parents can effectively co-parent and share care.

Working hours

Working hours will dictate which times and days work best for a parent to be responsible for their care. Today, most employers will take childcare into account and arrangements can be made to ensure parents can work the hours needed to fit their circumstances.

Owning your own business can increase your flexibility when deciding working hours, which in turn means that you are far more able to share the care of the children

Shared parenting

Shared parenting means that children have two homes where they can feel secure and continue to have a real family life with both parents.

As parents, you are in the best position to decide as to when your children spend time with both of you. Hopefully, a shared parenting schedule can be agreed on by negotiations between your solicitors or using meditation. However, if it cannot be resolved then court intervention may be necessary.

The Court can grant a shared care order allowing children to live and spend time with both parents. Useful to note here that a shared care order does not always mean that the time spent with each parent will be equal.

There has been a significant increase in the number of shared care orders granted by the courts over the past few years given the overwhelming evidence that having a healthy relationship with both parents is in the best interest for the children.

Support network

Many working parents utilise the help of their friends and family to ensure that they can balance their work requirements with time with their children, for example someone helping by collecting your children from school until you have finished a meeting. This support is invaluable and helps you to avoid becoming a “weekend parent”.

Every child, family and case are unique so it is always advisable to obtain specialist advice in relation to your situation and your legal rights.”

For more advice on parenting options available following a divorce or separation please contact our Client Care Team at the number below or by email here. 

The post Get the balance right with shared parenting appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Kaleel Anwar

Top seven myths of adultery

Affairs are often a symptom of a failing marriage rather than the cause.  We frequently work with clients who are seeking a divorce because they have found out their spouse is having an affair and clients who are the ones having the affair.

An affair does not necessarily mean the end of the marriage but for those couples where it is a deal-breaker, there so many myths surrounding adultery and divorce. Often offered as fact from well-meaning friends and family, we asked Rebecca Coates from our Tunbridge Wells office to dispel her top seven myths of adultery.

“I am always surprised when advising clients about adultery, the many misconceptions that exist about the law. Even those clients who wish to use it as a supporting fact in their divorce petition. So, I decided to bust the seven myths I hear the most.

Myth one: Adultery covers any sexual behaviour

This is not true. Adultery is defined as sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who are not married to each other but at least one of whom is a married person. Attempts to commit adultery do not amount to adultery but could be used as examples of unreasonable behaviour. If your spouse has an affair with a member of the same sex this does not constitute as adultery in the eyes of the law

Myth two: You must name the person who your husband/wife committed the adultery with

There is no requirement to do this. You should only name them if you think the respondent is going to defend proceedings. The person with whom it is alleged that the respondent has committed adultery with, will be called the “co-respondent.” The co-respondent will be made a party to the proceedings and will be served with copies of the divorce petition.

Myth three: Adultery petitions are very common.

They are quite rare. Not only does the person filing the divorce petition have to have knowledge that the adultery has taken place (suspicion does not count) but the respondent must admit to the adultery.

If the respondent fails to admit to the adultery, the Court will arrange a hearing and both parties will be required to give evidence.

Generally, it is not possible to provide direct evidence so circumstantial evidence may be relied on. The Court may also require evidence not just of an opportunity to commit adultery, but also of an inclination or passion to commit it.

Once the Court has heard and/or read all the evidence, it will make a decision as to whether the respondent committed adultery based on the balance of probabilities.

This approach carries a certain amount of risk and I always recommend to clients that want to serve a divorce petition on the grounds of adultery, that they agree with their ex-spouse beforehand that they will admit to the adultery and complete and sign the Acknowledgement of Service form.

Alternatively, you can use the supporting fact of your spouse’s unreasonable behaviour but refer to the adultery as an example of their behaviour. A reference of “improper association,” can also be listed as another example of their unreasonable behaviour.

Myth four: I will get a better divorce settlement because my spouse cheated

A common myth but regardless of whether your divorce on the grounds of adultery, the adulterous behaviour of you or your ex-spouse has very little bearing on the financial settlement overall.

Myth five: Adultery petitions have no time limits

No, incorrect. If you have found out about your spouse’s adultery but have continued to live with them for a period exceeding six months, you are barred from relying on adultery.

For the avoidance of doubt, living together is defined as living with each other in the same household. I have been asked “What if the adultery is continuing? How does that work with the time limit?” The answer is that for this purpose, adultery refers to one act of adultery. Therefore, where the adultery continues, the time limit will not run until the last act of adultery.

Myth six: Adultery before marriage will still count if you find out about it after the marriage

If the affair took place before you were married, then it is not considered adultery. It is only considered adultery if the affair continues after the marriage.

Myth seven: It is not adultery if you have separated from your ex-spouse.

In the eyes of the law, you are committing adultery. If you are separated from your spouse and you sleep with a member of the opposite sex this is adultery under English Law as you are still legally married.

Even if you are living apart, have agreed to see other people or your ex-spouse is aware of the relationship it is still adultery and can be used as the basis of a divorce petition.”

Get in touch

If you are looking for advice on adultery and divorce, please do contact our Client Care Team here.

The post Top seven myths of adultery appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Rebecca Coates

Divorces declared void after being issued within one year of marriage

Sir James Munby’s judgment in Baron & Others (4 Defective Divorces) hit the headlines recently, but not actually because of the subject-matter of the case (the headlines, as I mentioned here, were to do with Sir James’s comments regarding the inefficiency of some Regional Divorce Units).

What the former President of the Family Division was actually considering in the case was applications by the Queen’s Proctor for the setting aside of divorce decrees in four different cases, on the ground that the petitions had been presented before the expiration of the period of one year from the date of the marriage. As I explained here recently, the Queen’s Proctor is an officer of the judiciary, who may intervene in divorce proceedings “to argue before the court any question in relation to the matter which the court considers it necessary or expedient to have fully argued”. (The case referred to in that post was one of five, the other four being considered in the Baron case).

To explain for those who are not aware, the present law forbids the filing of a divorce petition before the expiration of the period of one year from the date of the marriage. Accordingly, any petition filed before then is null and void. And this, it seems, will not change when (and if) the proposed no-fault divorce is introduced, as the government intends to retain this ‘one-year bar’, which it believes “serves a useful purpose to underline the importance of commitments made at the time of marriage”. Accordingly, if the government gets its way this case will still be relevant when the law on divorce changes.

I’m not going to go into the legal niceties of whether failure to comply with the one year rule is a matter that can be corrected by the court, or whether it means that the petition is a nullity (you can find the details in paragraphs 4 to 9 of the judgment). Suffice to say that Sir James found in favour of the latter.

So to the four cases.

In the first case the parties were married on the 23rd of August 2012. The wife issued her divorce petition on the 28th of May 2013. No one spotted the error and the divorce eventually went through (i.e. to decree absolute) in August 2018. As Sir James said, “the case admits of no possible argument”. Accordingly, he declared the divorce void.

In the second case the parties were married on the 28th of May 2015. The wife issued her divorce petition on the 20th of May 2016. No one spotted the error and the divorce went through in January 2017. Again, said Sir James, the case admitted of no possible argument. Accordingly, he also declared this divorce void.

In the third case the parties were married on the 26th of July 2014. The husband post-dated his petition 27th of July 2015, but sent it to the court on the 17th of June 2015, and the court issued it on the 22nd of June. Without going into the details, the divorce was made absolute on the 11th of October 2016. Once again, Sir James found that the case admitted of no possible argument, and declared the divorce void.

The fourth case was slightly different. The parties were married on the 16th of January 2015. The wife issued her divorce petition on the 13th of January 2016. The divorce went through in September 2016, but the problem was then identified, and the court set aside the decrees. A fresh petition was issued, and fresh divorce decrees made. Unfortunately, there was an administrative error by the court in that it failed to properly process the fresh petition. However, Sir James held that this did not nullify the ‘new’ divorce, which remained valid.

In all of the cases the parties had issued new petitions for divorce, in order to preserve their positions. In each of the first three cases Sir James went on to grant a decree nisi, and to abridge the time for the decree absolute, from six weeks to four days in the first two cases, and to three weeks in the third case. The new petition in the fourth case was struck out.

The moral from all of this, of course, is to make sure that you comply with the one year rule. It’s an easy trap to fall into, but one that can have serious and expensive consequences, not least the possibility of bigamy if a party remarries when they were not actually divorced.

You can read Sir James’s full judgment here.

The post Divorces declared void after being issued within one year of marriage appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: John Bolch

The significance of pensions in high net worth divorces

Pensions are often of great significance in divorces, more so than many divorcing couples realise. Even in cases involving quite modest assets, pensions can be one of the most valuable of those assets, usually only exceeded in value by the matrimonial home. However, pensions can be even more significant in high net worth divorce cases, as recent research has shown.

The research was carried out by the wealth planning company Succession Wealth. They analysed the Office for National Statistics’ Wealth and Assets Survey data and the number of divorces in England and Wales, to estimate the makeup of the assets of divorcing couples whose net financial wealth is £1 million or more.

They found that that 550 couples with net financial wealth of one million pounds or more each will divorce this year, and estimate that collectively these individuals have around £1.91 billion of net wealth, equating to an average of about £3.48 million per couple.

And so to the breakdown of that wealth. This was divided into four categories: financial wealth, property wealth, physical wealth and private pension wealth. I haven’t seen an explanation of the first three, but I assume ‘financial wealth’ means cash and savings-type assets, such as bonds, shares and so on, ‘property wealth’ means real property (i.e. land and buildings) and ‘physical wealth’ means other valuable physical assets, such as cars, jewellery and paintings.

The breakdown was as follows: financial wealth represented 20% of the assets, worth on average about £712,000, property wealth represented 31% of the assets, worth on average about £1,075,000, physical wealth represented 5% of the assets, worth on average about £186,000, and private pension wealth represented a whopping 43% of the assets, worth on average about one and a half million pounds. In other words, private pension wealth is by some margin the most significant asset of many couples whose net financial wealth is £1 million or more.

These figures may not come as a surprise to an experienced family lawyer used to dealing with high net worth cases, but I’m sure they would raise a few eyebrows elsewhere. How many ‘non pension owning’ spouses in high net worth cases will be aware of this? I suspect not many. That is why it is essential that they obtain full disclosure of the other spouse’s wealth. And that does not just mean accepting what the other spouse discloses. All too often a spouse with substantial financial assets will be less than forthcoming in disclosing them. That is when it may be necessary to employ the services of a forensic accountant (see below), who can help to uncover those assets.

Of course uncovering the true value of pension (and other) assets is only half of the story. The other half is working out how those assets should be divided between the parties.

Thus the question is: if you are the ‘non pension owning’ spouse, how do you receive your fair share of pension assets? Well, there are essentially three ways: offsetting against other assets, pension sharing orders and pension attachment orders. Offsetting, at its simplest, involves the spouse with the pension keeping it, but the other spouse being compensated by receiving a greater share of other assets. Pension sharing means transferring the pension ‘pot’, or part of it, from one spouse’s pension to a pension in the name of the other spouse. Pension attachment orders redirect all or part of the pension benefits to the other spouse, when the pension comes into payment. Which of these options is right for you can be a complex question. (For further information regarding pensions, see here.)

The moral of all of this, of course, is to get the best possible advice when you divorce, especially if the assets of the marriage are significant. And that does not just mean legal advice. It is also necessary to have the best financial advice. That is why Stowe Family Law have their own specialist in-house team of forensic accountants, which is one of the reasons why they are experts in high net worth divorce cases.

The post The significance of pensions in high net worth divorces appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: John Bolch

Husband succeeds in recovering painting, despite wife’s lies

As I have said many times, both here and to my own clients when I was practising, getting a final order is often only half of the battle when it comes to sorting out financial arrangements following divorce. The other half comes in actually enforcing that order.

Despite the importance of enforcement, we don’t see an awful lot of cases about it reported. However, we did get at least a glimpse of it in the case ET v ST, which was decided by Mr Justice Mostyn in April last year, but which only recently appeared on the Bailii website. The case is also of interest because of the wife’s attempts to thwart the enforcement action.

The case revolved around the husband’s attempts to recover a painting by the artist Caziel. The painting was amongst the contents of a property that it had been agreed should be retained by the husband. That agreement was incorporated into a consent order in July 2011.

For the benefit of those, including myself, who are not art experts Caziel was, according to Wikipedia, “a Polish artist who lived and worked in Paris during the inter-war period and who worked alongside a number of important figures of the School of Paris, including Pablo Picasso”. Despite that illustrious connection, I don’t think his paintings are especially valuable – a quick internet search reveals them being sold for anything between a few hundred pounds and five thousand pounds. We are not told how much the painting in this case is worth, although obviously it could also have had sentimental value to the husband.

By October 2017 the painting had not been delivered up to the husband by the wife, and the husband therefore commenced enforcement proceedings.

On three occasions the wife had told the court that she had not seen the painting for some years, and implied that the husband had taken it. Two of those statements were made under oath from the witness box, and one in a written witness statement endorsed with a statement of truth. However, in another witness statement in January 2018 the wife admitted that her earlier statements had been untrue – she did know the whereabouts of the painting.

Following this, the painting was recovered by the husband, although not before the husband had issued an application for the wife to be committed to prison for breach of the order.

There still, however, remained the issue of the husband’s costs, both of the enforcement action and of the committal proceedings. In addition to this, the husband sought permission from the court to proceed with committal proceedings against the wife in respect of both her false witness statement and her lies under oath. These issues fell to Mr Justice Mostyn to determine.

Dealing with the committal application first, Mr Justice Mostyn refused permission for the husband to proceed. The reason for this is that he considered that the husband had a better avenue available to him: criminal proceedings against the wife for perjury, which carry with them a maximum prison sentence of seven years. We are not told whether or not the husband chose to take this course.

As to the issue of costs, Mr Justice Mostyn felt it unarguable that the husband should recover his costs relating to the enforcement action. As to the committal application, Mr Justice Mostyn felt that the husband had pursued this “in a very single-minded way”, despite the fact that he had achieved his primary aim, which was to recover the painting. Accordingly, Mr Justice Mostyn only ordered the wife to pay 50% of the husband’s costs in relation to the committal application.

An interesting little case, illustrating quite typical enforcement issues: one party having to go back to the court to recover an asset that should have been delivered to them, and the other party lying to the court in an attempt to thwart them. The case is also perhaps an illustration of the perils of being over-zealous when it comes to enforcement: one can fully understand the husband’s annoyance at the wife’s lies, and his determination that she should not ‘get away’ with them, but in the end his actions cost him money that he was not able to recover.

You can read the full judgment here.

The post Husband succeeds in recovering painting, despite wife’s lies appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: John Bolch

How to keep divorce out of court? (Part 2)

Sarah Snow, Partner at our London Victoria office is back on the blog to look at how arbitration and negotiation can help you keep your divorce out of court.

Arbitration

I pick this article back-up with a look at arbitration, the closest parties will come to the court process without having to go to court. It is a form of dispute resolution that takes place out of the courtroom. Both parties will appoint a suitability trained and qualified arbitrator, their decision is final and binding upon the parties.

The benefits of arbitration are that parties are able to resolve disputes in a less formal setting. The process is often quicker than court proceedings as parties are not dependant on the court listing and scheduling of hearings, which can often take several months if a court is particularly busy. Parties can also be ensured of continuity, instructing the same arbitrator throughout the process, opposed to court proceedings where you may see a different judge at each hearing. However, as with collaborative law, there is no power to compel disclosure and may not be suitable if one half of the couple is hiding assets although the arbitrator can draw adverse findings if satisfied that something has not been disclosed and can also award costs. Indeed, engaging in arbitration is something that both parties must be willing to do.

This is a viable alternative dispute to the court process for divorcing couples and can address wide ranging issues such as determining an entire financial award down to a narrow issue such as how to deal with a pension. There are also arbitrators who specialise in determining arrangements for children.

It may feel like you are “going private” as you do pay the costs of the arbitrator as well as the costs of your lawyer but you may feel this is worth it to get a final decision more quickly, in a more comfortable environment than the court and by an arbitrator who you can be confident is a specialist in family law rather than a Judge who may have been a lawyer who specialised in a different area of law. The other benefit to an arbitration process is that it is completely confidential so that there are no risks of the press attending your hearing as they sometimes can do if your case is in court.

The flexibility and the fact that you will get a final decision more quickly can make arbitration more cost-effective than court.

Negotiations via solicitors

This is probably the most common way in which most matters are resolved. Lawyers are both specialists in the law and will know what the likely outcomes might be, and they will also be experts in negotiation and how to present your case in the best possible way. The process essentially involves solicitors negotiating on divorcing parties’ behalf. If the matter concerns financial arrangements, then there needs to be an exchange of financial disclosure so that there is a full understanding of what resources are available. Negotiation can then take place over correspondence, by telephone discussion or sometimes via what is known as a roundtable meeting where both parties and their lawyers are present.

However, if negotiations break down then court or arbitration may be the only alternatives available. It is important therefore that negotiations do not continue for too long if it is evident that an agreement cannot be reached because if you commence either the court or arbitration options too late this will increase the costs beyond those originally anticipated. However, with arbitration it may be that the negotiations have narrowed down the issues to only a few points, which the arbitrator can be asked to decide upon therefore saving the costs of arguing about everything.  It is important to ensure that a timetable for disclosure and negotiations is set out by the parties’ solicitors from the start to ensure that matters are not allowed to drift over many months without moving forward.

Whichever way you go

Ultimately it is important to note that whichever chosen approach to resolving matters voluntarily and without court proceedings, both parties must be motivated by a shared desire to be open, transparent, pragmatic and compromising.

Without such an approach any method of Alternative Dispute Resolution is unlikely to be successful. In conclusion, I revert to the age-old adage delivered to many clients by their solicitors, “it is often better to have an agreement you can both live with, rather than an order imposed on you by the court which neither of you is happy with”.

Get in touch

For more advice on how to keep your divorce out of court you can contact our Client Care Team here or at the number below.

You can read part 1 here.

 

The post How to keep divorce out of court? (Part 2) appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Sarah Snow

What should I do if my husband/wife is having an affair?

Finding out that your spouse is having an affair can be devastating and place a severe strain on a relationship. Sometimes it spells the end of the marriage. Other times, couples repair the relationship, often making it stronger.

There is no right or wrong answer here. However, if you are married, there are some legal considerations for you if you partner has an affair. So, we asked Gabby Read-Thomas from our Altrincham office to take us through what you need to do if you find out your spouse has / is having an affair.

“Shocked, betrayed and confused are just some of the emotions that I see my clients dealing with when their relationship has broken down due to an affair.

In the beginning, I advise them to allow themselves some time to consider next steps rather than lashing out in an act of retaliation which they may later regret.

Once the initial dust has settled, communication is crucial, whether you want to try and save the relationship or have decided it is over and need to plan a way forward.

Staying together

Relationship counselling can be extremely helpful in supporting couples to open-up, explore the problems between them and get back on track.

There are many counselling services available, such as Relate, and a simple Google search should help you locate someone in your area or try the National Counselling Society, find a counsellor directory.

Separating

If there is no way back following an affair, then I would recommend taking early advice on the divorce process.

In English law there is only one ground to petition for divorce and that is that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. Although there has been a lot in the news about the new era of ‘no fault divorce’, it is likely to take some time for parliament to ratify the necessary legislation.  So for now, to prove this, you must currently rely on one of 5 facts and one of these is adultery.

Specifically, the law states that you can petition for a divorce based on adultery if your spouse has committed adultery and you find it intolerable to live with them.  Importantly however, same-sex spouses cannot use this fact to prove irretrievable breakdown (and would instead need to allege ‘unreasonable behaviour’).  Importantly, adultery can be committed and used for a reason to divorce, even after a married couple have separated.

Even if adultery is applicable, it isn’t necessarily that straight forward. What the court recognise as adultery and what you consider to be an affair are not always the same thing.

The law relating to adultery

The court considers adultery to be the voluntary sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. A close relationship which you may consider inappropriate, involving dates, messages, emails (but without actually having sex with that person) is not recognised legally as adultery.

However, whilst the court would not recognise it as adultery, such behaviour can be used as an example of unreasonable behaviour and a divorce petition can be presented on this basis instead, as it can with same-sex spouses who discover their spouse is conducting a relationship with a third party

It should also be pointed out that if you continue to live with your spouse for a period of 6 months or more after you found out about the adultery then you cannot use that adultery as the basis for a divorce petition, unless that adultery is continuing  If so,  the 6 month period begins to run from the last adulterous incident. If however it was a ‘one-off’ which took place more than 6 months before you found out, or your spouse denies having committed adultery, your safer option is to proceed on the basis of their behaviour.

Getting divorced

Citing adultery in a divorce petition requires the spouse to admit to the adultery in the paperwork. From a practical point of view, it is worthwhile asking their spouse  to sign a  statement confirming their agreement before proceedings are issued. In the long-run this will help reduce the risk of costly defended divorce proceedings. Again, if your spouse is unwilling to sign a statement, you should consider presenting your petition on the basis of unreasonable behaviour.

If you continue with the adultery petition and the divorce is defended it is the court that will decide whether there is evidence to show that the adultery has been committed, and let’s face it, short of hiring a private investigator (which can be done) it  is unlikely that you will have any direct evidence of the adultery.  However, if there is enough circumstantial evidence to show opportunity and an inclination to commit adultery, the court should be able to draw inferences that the adultery has been proved and the petition can proceed on that basis.

If you have concerns your spouse is having an affair and would like some initial legal advice, please contact our Client Care Team here or at the number below. All enquiries are strictly confidential.

 

The post What should I do if my husband/wife is having an affair? appeared first on Stowe Family Law.


Go to Source
Author: Gabrielle Read Thomas