High net worth divorce lawyers

Expert support for high net worth individuals going through a divorce

Our leading team of high net worth divorce solicitors are recognised by the Legal Directories and Spears 500 as experts in guiding, supporting and representing you in complex and high-value family law disputes.

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Our high net worth divorce lawyer services

Our top high net worth divorce solicitors have the in-depth expertise to guide you through issues including:

Divorce and civil partnership dissolution
International divorce
Cross border disputes including intra UK disputes
Inherited wealth
Wealth protection strategy including prenuptial agreements
Property and Land (UK and international)
Family businesses including family investment companies
Partnerships
Interests in companies, including share options
Farming and agricultural interests
Pensions
On and offshore trusts
Digital assets including cryptocurrency
Worldwide assets
Wealth preservation including freezing injunctions
Hidden assets
Arbitration and non-court based options including Private FDRs
Child arrangements
Child maintenance including school fees
Cohabitation
Immigration advice for businesses and high net worth individuals.

What is considered a high net worth divorce?

There is not an agreed, fixed, value of assets held by an individual or couple which gives them the label of ‘High Net Worth’, but generally, they will have liquid assets (other than their home and perhaps their pensions) of over £1m.

A High Net Worth divorce will tend to involve a couple with significant wealth, made up of cash and investments, real property (i.e., land and buildings), businesses, pensions, trusts and other valuable assets such as cars, jewellery and paintings. It may be held, in whole or in part, abroad.

In High Net Worth divorces, the division of assets can be particularly complex due to the nature and high value of the assets concerned.

A High Net Worth divorce may also involve international issues, including jurisdictional disputes, and how to deal with overseas investments and trusts, including enforcement, valuation and taxation issues.

When we refer to divorce, we also include civil partnership dissolution.

Why choose our high net worth divorce solicitors?

Described as “making the Magic Circle Firms look ordinary” by one of the legal directories, our experts in high net worth divorce are located in both England/Wales and Scotland.

Using the utmost discretion, you can be assured that your case will be dealt with confidentially and robustly by trusted advisors, who will work with you to identify priorities, strategies and the best possible outcomes for you and your family. As an all service firm, our high net worth divorce solicitors can call upon assistance from our corporate, tax, wealth protection and property law teams, amongst others, to provide you with rounded and holistic advice about your finances which may involve complex and substantial assets.

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Read transcript

Hi, I'm Emma Collins. I'm Fiona Davidson. We're solicitors in the family team at Weightmans. We recognise that the breakdown of a relationship is a huge event for anyone to come to terms with; it has an impact on your family that's both domestic and financial. We need to establish what jurisdiction to issue divorce proceedings in. This will depend on where you and your spouse live. Generally, this jurisdiction favours the more economically weaker spouse. Deciding how finances are divided on divorce starts with the disclosure and valuation process. This includes valuing companies, pensions, trust assets - we look at assets that may be offshore. It's important to establish what assets may have been acquired prior to the marriage, such as inherited wealth and also pre and post nuptial agreements can play a significant role. Financial matters can be dealt with voluntarily. We might consider using a collaborative law process or mediation. Or it might be through correspondence with your spouse's solicitors. Alternatively, it may be necessary for us to issue an application to the court to deal with matters. Also, if there any urgent financial matters to be dealt with, we might need to consider injunctive action. We would also sometimes involve our corporate and tax teams if there are specialist issues that need to be resolved. We should also discuss your maintenance requirements. We will need to discuss your costs and whether you can obtain a litigation loan or whether you can make an application for assistance with your legal costs from your spouse.