How do you divide a bonus that has not been paid yet? Deferred cash, restricted shares that vest over three years, carried interest in a fund that may or may not pay out, and a partnership capital account that cannot be withdrawn: the assets of a City of London marriage are often promises rather than money, and a divorce solicitor who works for City clients spends much of the case working out what they are worth, when, and to whom. The courts treat awards earned during the marriage as matrimonial even if they vest after it, and the arguments are about the proportion and the timing.
The divorce itself is the simple part: an online application, no fault alleged, twenty weeks to the conditional order and six more to the final order. The finances are dealt with separately, usually at the Central Family Court on High Holborn, a few minutes from the City boundary, where the Financial Remedies Court sits, and in the largest cases in the High Court's Family Division. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are common among City couples and are given real weight if both sides had advice and disclosure, though they cannot leave either spouse in need.
International questions arise constantly. A banker from Frankfurt married to a lawyer from Singapore, both working in the City, may have a choice of courts, and English law's generosity to the financially weaker spouse makes the choice matter. Pensions, including unusual arrangements for partners and expatriates, need specialist valuation.
Few City of London clients qualify for legal aid, and fees are hourly, with fixed fees for the application and for consent orders at many firms. Arbitration and private financial dispute resolution are popular here because they are confidential and quick.
Divorce firms serving the City of London are listed below, verified first. Read the divorce process, how much a divorce costs, the general guide to divorce solicitors and, for children and prenups, family law solicitors in the City of London.
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