Mark Thomson

If cohabitation is continuous and resembles marriage—such as sharing bills, mortgage, or joint tenancy—it counts toward the length of the marriage. For example, pension contributions made during the period of cohabitation are included in marital assets for division upon divorce.

While divorce applications can be completed online without a lawyer, handling finances is more complex and usually requires legal assistance. It’s best to agree with your spouse on how assets will be divided and document this in a financial clean break consent order. After the Decree Nisi is issued, the court reviews the order, and

There are a number of ways to safeguard your pension during a divorce. One common approach is to balance what a spouse could claim from the pension pot with another asset, like giving them a larger share of the matrimonial home. To reduce the portion of the pension pot that’s eligible for division, you can

Sorting out finances during divorce occurs alongside the divorce application. After the Conditional Order (formerly Decree Nisi) is issued, you can submit a draft financial consent order for court approval. Once sealed, this order is binding. Preparing this agreement can take time, so it’s helpful to research both your own and your spouse’s finances beforehand.

Are marital assets always split 50/50 after divorce? While this is the starting point, it’s often not the outcome. The White v White case established that marriage assets should generally be shared equally, and homemaker and breadwinner contributions are considered equal. However, most cases do not result in a 50/50 division because there’s usually not

Sometimes, a family home is purchased in one person’s name due to financial constraints or insufficient business history for mortgage approval. If the couple divorces years later, the property being held in only one name does not prevent it from being treated as a matrimonial asset by the court and shared as part of the

Prenuptial agreements are not just for the wealthy. Most couples’ assets are tied up in property and pensions. While property is often split evenly in a divorce, dividing pensions can be complex. Specifying in a prenuptial agreement that only pension accrual during marriage will be shared can help prevent your entire pension from being divided

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have officially ended their marriage this week. The couple, who share two children, agreed that Keith will have custody on alternate weekends. Their substantial property portfolio, valued at £210 million, was split equally since all assets were acquired together after their 2006 wedding. Both Nicole and Keith apparently chose to

In most divorces, courts do not consider bad conduct unless it is extremely serious. Drug addiction can be a relevant factor when dividing assets if it significantly reduces marital funds. Proving drug use might be difficult, especially if your spouse hides it, but frequent cash withdrawals could be evidence. You must show that spending on

Recently, after 20 years of marriage, Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England rugby player, and his wife, Alice, were in court to thrash out a separation settlement. The marriage had weathered brothel parties and cheating scandals. Alice had an affair with a multi-millionaire property developer. Allegations against Lawrence included splurging £10,000 a night at brothel parties