Mike and Vanessa met when they were both in their forties. Mike had been through a divorce before. Vanessa had not been married previously and owned a house with a substantial amount of equity in it. Both of them were keen to ensure that if they got divorced, they would be clear as to what would happen financially. Neither of them wanted to have to go to court in case of a disagreement.

Vanessa therefore came to us and asked us to draft a prenuptial agreement on her behalf. We put together a document which provided for her to retain a certain proportion of the equity in her home in the event of divorce, with the remainder to be divided equally between her and Mike. The agreement also clarified the way the couple would deal with their savings and investments in case of a split.

Once the agreement was drafted and Vanessa was happy with its contents, Mike took legal advice on the agreement from another firm of solicitors. Mike’s solicitors suggested a few minor amendments to the document but the prenuptial agreement was soon agreed.

Vanessa and Mike signed the document and both sets of solicitors confirmed that they had provided their respective clients with independent legal advice as to the effect of the agreement. The agreement was then put away for safe-keeping and Vanessa and Mike got on with planning their wedding.