Prenuptial Agreements

Prenuptial agreements may allow two people to agree, before marriage or entry into a civil partnership, what will happen upon divorce. The bulk of a prenuptial agreement usually sets out who will own certain valuable assets, such as houses, cars, or businesses owned by either party, if the marriage ends by divorce.

If you are interested in having a pre-nuptial agreement drawn up, please contact us on 0161 408 5257 and we will help you.

Because of this, 'prenup agreements' tend to be popular with the very wealthy, but with today's high rates of divorce, prenups are being increasingly used by people on low or moderate incomes. As many as 1 in 3 marriages end in divorce so many people find that prenuptial agreements (or 'prenuptual' agreements, as commonly mis-spelt) gives them peace of mind before getting married.

Although commonplace and regularly enforced in other parts of the world, the courts in the UK reserve the right not to apply certain parts the agreement. Indeed, until relatively recently, prenuptial agreements had little legal force. However, in a recent case Radmacher (formerly Grantino) v Grantino, also known as NG v KR (prenuptial contract), the Court of Appeal noted that the judges should treat pre-nuptial agreements as the decisive element and called for legislation to reform the law so that such agreements should form the basis of awards.

Therefore, whilst prenups are technically not enforcable in, for instance, the courts of Manchester in the UK, they are still very persuasive on the courts. Whether or not the terms of the agreement are accepted by a divorce court depends heavily on the individual agreement. If the terms are to be considered reasonable, and not extremely unfair to either party, it is likely that the terms of the agreement will be reflected the outcome. It is useful to have a lawyer, particularly one specialised in family law, to help you draft the terms to ensure the best possible interpretation by the courts.

To find out more about prenuptial agreements and whether they would be appropriate for you please get in touch by phone on 0161 408 5257 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Alternatively fill out our online enquiry form.