Divorce, separation and finances
We have a long established reputation for achieving outstanding results for our clients, particularly in complex cases and those with an international angle.
Our award winning team of family lawyers has acted in numerous landmark cases in the courts of London, Hong Kong, Singapore and California, and has been involved in the development of the law in these locations.
Establishing strategy early on
Clients tell us that one of the main reasons they were glad they chose us is because of the way we approach our first meeting with them. We believe it is vital to establish the realistic objectives for your case from the outset and to set a clear strategy to achieve them. It is not uncommon for firms to win work by telling clients what they want to hear, but we see it as essential to be candid in advising you on what you will be able to achieve and setting out viable options for reaching those goals – whether through a privately negotiated agreement (either directly, through mediation, a collaborative law process or a bespoke combination with Uncouple), or if necessary through arbitration or court litigation.
Divorce law reform in England and Wales – no fault divorce
New legislation came into force on 6 April 2022 that will make divorce a simpler and less acrimonious process by removing blame for the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership. This is often important when couples need to maintain connection to share childcare. It will also allow couples to apply for divorce jointly for the first time. You can find more information here to help decide what’s best for you.
Trust related cases
Trusts are widely used by families as a way to protect their assets for future generations. We work with clients, trustees and beneficiaries in the preparation of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, on which we have enormous experience, and which form an integral part of wealth protection planning.
Understandably, during a divorce there can be strong disagreement over how trusts and other wealth structures should be dealt with. We have considerable experience in advising trustees, beneficiaries and other family members caught up in divorce proceedings.
We have the benefit of being able to consult with one of the largest, leading wealth planning and contentious trust teams based globally across the US, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. With colleagues also in corporate, employment, property and reputation management teams we have the experience and the skill sets to protect your trust interests, family businesses and inherited wealth or alternatively, when required, to trace assets and probe wealth holding structures.
For further help or information
Get in touchThe whole team is brilliant – I would never go anywhere else. I cannot recommend a legal team more highly. They were incredibly kind and compassionate to me on a human level, which spoke to me as strongly as their talent as lawyers.
I had a five-star impression of them and was very happy. During what was an incredibly painful, emotional time, I was absolutely aware that they made it as smooth and painless as that sort of process can be. That says a lot.
Meet the team
How the team can help
Track record
Hong Kong team act in a landmark high value cross border divorce
A cross border team acted for an ultra high net worth client in an exceptionally complex divorce, involving company structures and multiple third parties, offshore trusts and multi million dollar assets in a number of jurisdictions. We obtained the highest ever award for interim maintenance in Hong Kong.
Disentangling complex structures to achieve a settlement
We acted for the wife in OS v DS. Her husband had failed to make proper disclosure of his financial resources, which we therefore had to trace through a complicated network of corporate structures, mainly in Africa. In order to unearth the husband's true financial position we assisted in establishing an innovative court procedure so that the judge could carry out a 'preliminary/oral discovery' hearing to determine the relevant facts in this case. Following that hearing we were able to settle the case resulting in a positive outcome for our client. Whilst this procedure was created for the particular circumstances of our case, it has since been used in many other cases and is now known as an 'OS v DS hearing'.
Highest child maintenance award secured in Hong Kong
Divorce case dealing with trust, share valuation and non-matrimonial asset issues
We delivered a comprehensive result for the wife in X v X [2016]. We successfully argued that her husband’s interest in a trust should be considered a resource of his and included in the marital assets available for division. The case also involved complex issues of assessing the contributions made by the husband and the wife during the marriage, the valuation of shares in a listed company, and the extent of non-matrimonial assets.
Divorce involves a forum dispute between Hong Kong and Australia
We successfully acted for the husband to defeat the wife's application for a stay on the basis that Australia was the more appropriate jurisdiction. The Court of Appeal considered the factors the court should bear in mind when dealing with such challenges. At the time, it was a landmark case and is regularly quoted to this day on the topic of forum non conveniens.<br />
Special contribution to a marriage's resources
We acted for advertising and marketing giant WPP's CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell, in his divorce case, which is one of the very few in which the judges accepted the argument that his 'exceptional contribution' to the marriage's finances was sufficient to justify an unequal division of the couple's assets. Sir Martin was awarded 60% of the assets, with no ongoing maintenance payments.
Court of Appeal rules in favour of a wife, who secured 70% of the matrimonial assets
Sharon Ser led the team to the Court of Appeal acting for a wife in respect of an application to set aside an order for leave to appeal. This case at first instance involved the wife's application for a greater share of the matrimonial assets on the basis of compensation. She was successful in achieving 70% of the total matrimonial assets with periodical payments for 10 years. The wife appealed and the husband then sought leave to cross appeal although he was 51 days out of time. The Court of Appeal refused the husband's application for leave to appeal.
Court of Appeal defence of credit crunch award
A property developer's business suffered huge losses when the financial crisis hit, and we acted for him in his divorce negotiations with his wife, heiress of a business empire. Our team helped the husband defend the allocation of an equal split of the couple's finances, plus an extra £5 million lump sum payment to the husband to cover half of his property losses.
Complex divorce involving financial assets aquired prior to the marriage
Sharon Ser acted for the wife in an extremely complex financial case where the husband sought to argue assets in the 14 year marriage were acquired prior to the marriage and should be classed as non-matrimonial assets and excluded from the sharing principle. The Hong Kong Court of Appeal ruled that the assets had been sufficiently intermingled with the family expenses and that they should not be discounted completely.
Complex high value divorce leads to a change in the law in Hong Kong
We acted for the husband in a high value divorce, which involved a conflict in jurisdiction between Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China. The matter reached The Court of Final Appeal and led to a change in Hong Kong law, introducing new legislation to allow a party who had a divorce in another jurisdiction to seek a financial remedy in Hong Kong where applicable. This is an important measure protecting those who would be unfairly prejudiced by an overseas divorce.
Four year battle for full disclosure
We represented Lisa Tchenguiz in a lengthy, complex, high profile divorce which resulted in a change in the law on disclosure and confidentiality of documents in divorce proceedings; and also produced additional decisions in relation to the joinder of trust beneficiaries to financial proceedings on divorce. The Court of Appeal ruled that unauthorized access to a former spouse's personal documents breached a duty of confidentiality. The judgment has been described by some as a cheat's charter and an obstacle to transparency.
Achieving settlement to end maintenance payments
As our client approached retirement, following a long and distinguished career as a barrister, he applied to terminate the maintenance payments he had been ordered to pay to his first wife for life. His former wife sought a lump sum payment of £560,000 in lieu of ongoing maintenance. The case went to the Court of Appeal, who established that the potential claims of a second wife cannot take priority over the first wife's claims and ordered a payment of £215,000 (less than half the amount she initially sought).
Use of European pre and postnuptial agreements clarified in the Hong Kong courts
A landmark divorce case in Hong Kong involved German pre and postnuptial agreements. The case confirmed that the principles set out in the English Supreme Court case of Radmacher, in respect of prenuptial agreements, would be an appropriate precedent for the Hong Kong courts, and that, if the parties fully understood the implications, they would most likely be bound to their agreements.
Appealing international relocation with children
Our client, who shared the care of his two children with his former wife, opposed her application to relocate to Canada permanently with them. We represented him in the Court of Appeal and successfully overturned the initial decision, so his former wife did not have permission to leave with the children. The decision marked an influential development in the court's approach to applications to relocate abroad with children. This followed C v C, an earlier decision in which Withers also acted, where we represented the father who successfully resisted the mother's application to permanently relocate with the children to the US.
Special contribution argument in record value case
We acted for Sir Chris Hohn in what was then the highest value divorce case. He had generated his wealth through huge success in investment management, and had also established a charitable foundation which achieved international recognition in its field. We successfully argued that the marital assets should not be equally divided, in part due to his 'special contribution' to their generation. Mrs Cooper-Hohn was awarded 36% of the total.
Confirming that the welfare of children is paramount
We acted for the mother in her application for permission to relocate to Russia with the two children. This decision re-iterated what the Court of Appeal had said in MK v CK, that the only principle to apply is the welfare principle, but in this case the Court decided that our client should be given permission to relocate.
Separation Agreement entered into 20 years prior upheld
We acted for the husband in successfully defending an application by his ex-wife for additional financial relief over and above that which was embodied in a separation agreement they had entered 20 years prior, but which had not been made into an order of the court. The wife's application for permission to appeal the High Court judgment was refused.
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