IR v OR: Judge Dismisses Pre-Nup in Landmark £184 Million Divorce Case
Contact
Table of Contents
One of the reasons I am still passionate about family law, after 20 years in the field, is that it is ever-changing. An important part of the job is keeping up to date on case law, and a recent Pre-Nuptial case is worth a mention.
Non-matrimonial property, family wealth and a Pre-Nup
The assets totalled £184 million. The issues for the Judge were what assets were matrimonial and also Pre-Nup. The Husband had assets from his family business and a Trust and put these down to his father’s efforts. The Wife disagreed and said the Husband was instrumental in the business. There had been a Pre-Nuptial Agreement but neither could find the finalised and signed document. A draft copy was produced. The Wife hadn’t sought legal advice on it and it did not provide for her reasonable needs. The Husband wanted the Pre-Nup to be persuasive but accepted it should not be fully implemented.
Mr Justice Moor ignored the Pre-Nuptial Agreement.
In terms of what was matrimonial, although the Judge found that the Husband’s father’s contribution to the resources was significant, it was the Husband who had transformed the business, during the marriage. The Judge did not consider it relevant that the assets were placed in a Trust.
The Judge did acknowledge that the non-matrimonial element of the resources should be factored in to the overall divorce settlement. He determined how much was non-matrimonial, deducted that from the total asset base figure, and awarded the Wife half of the remainder – she received £70 million.
Full judgement
The full Judgment can be found here.
How can we help?
If you would like to speak to a specialist divorce lawyer, please contact Lisa Pepper for more information or complete the online enquiry form below.
Share this article
Contact Lisa today
Call us 0207 485 8811
Email us Send us an email and we’ll get back to you
Lisa Pepper – one of the best mediators around, whose very reasonable rates don’t reflect her excellent client base
Lisa Pepper is a great go-to solicitor for anyone wanting quick and appropriate advice
Lisa Pepper at Osbornes is hugely approachable. She is calm, clients always praise her. Underneath her calm and approachable exterior is an excellent legal brain
I am confident that Lisa will do her utmost to try and settle matters so that both parties walk away feeling satisfied that they have managed to reach a fair outcome with the assistance of a professional mediator.
Lisa Pepper is robust, competent and knowledgeable and is always keen to try and help parties settle without intervention of the court.
Lisa Pepper is an outstanding mediator. She gets results in very difficult cases. She works extremely hard to get a good outcome for clients who mediate with her
Lisa Pepper- she has a great combination of skills. She is empathetic, approachable and calm, and has good legal judgment. She inspires confidence and trust
"Lisa Pepper is good at making herself available to clients and has a real focus on finding pragmatic solutions."
"Lisa Pepper is a complete all rounder. Her mediation skills are second to none. She is kind and compassionate and knows the law inside out!."
"Lisa Pepper is ‘compassionate, supportive and committed to hear clients, with a very warm manner."
"Lisa Pepper is fantastic. She goes the extra mile for her clients and is a superb mediator."
"Osbornes has a hugely experienced mediation team with Andrew Watson, Bridget Thompson and Lisa Pepper who are able to offer financial and children mediation for a range of cases including those that are highly complex involving challenging clients."
"Lisa Pepper is fantastic with people and generates calm in her meetings to help clients give of their best."
I can’t think of anyone who would handle a mediation better than Lisa.
Lisa Pepper is extremely hard-working and adored by her clients. She is a very empathetic and approachable lawyer.
"Lisa Pepper was recommended to me as non-nonsense and able to help me with a difficult and confrontational divorce. She more than lived up to that – she was practical, collected and always available with a clear opinion and suggestions of how to move forwards. She also was open and helpful about costs and how to mitigate them"
"Lisa Pepper is an outstanding mediator. She is very skilled and has an empathetic and professional approach which is comforting for clients. She never imposes her own view but is even handed and provides helpful guidance to clients so that they can make empowered decisions"
"Lisa Pepper has built up a very impressive mediation practice. She is very engaging and easy to relate to. She embodies mediation in the sense that she approaches her case in a very non-judgmental fashion and can quickly gain the confidence of those with whom she is mediating"
"Lisa Pepper is a brilliant mediator who produces results. She is effective at resolving matters without the need for the parties to engage in expensive and protracted litigation"
"Lisa Pepper is a fantastic mediator. She is fair, robust when she needs to be, and finds a way of facilitating agreements in the hardest of cases. Her guidance is spot on. She has an approachable and constructive mediation style"
"She has impressed me as someone who fights my corner but also understands the importance of resolving issues without unnecessary escalation. She is calm and reassuring."
"Her mediation practice is exceptional; she is also a great solicitor and has a breadth of skill which is really useful."
Lisa Pepper is extremely approachable and this shines through in the outcomes she achieves from mediation. She makes clients feel at ease, which enables them to feel empowered to resolve matters amicably and find a creative outcome which many mediators may have overlooked.
Lisa Pepper is building a very strong mediation practice at very competitive rates and is able to build a rapport quickly with almost anyone.
Lisa Pepper loves her work and has a very sensible head on her. That means her practice is thriving and rightly so.
Lisa Pepper is very thorough in her preparation and has super personal skills to put parties in mediation at ease
Lisa Pepper – good litigator, very friendly and approachable but tough, “straight bat” with the opposition. Can steer a client deftly to settle when he should.
Lisa Pepper is particularly recognised for her role as a mediator in complex cross-border disputes. Her practice also includes handling prenuptial agreements and issues arising from the dissolution of civil partnerships.
"Lisa Pepper is "caring and considerate of the issues behind a matter, and will speak directly if she feels clients need that advice."
"The very personable and client-focused Lisa Pepper."
"Lisa Pepper somehow manages to get parties to settle on matters where there isn’t much hope to start out with."
"Lisa can handle the large and complicated cases but takes equal care with the smaller cases. She is a highly skilled mediator who is a consummate professional."
Lisa Pepper is a skilled collaborative lawyer. Her instinct is always to resolve matters without compromising her clients’ interests.
Lisa Pepper is always looking for a solution and has a very sympathetic approach to clients. She is highly regarded for her collaborative law practice.
Lisa Pepper deals with separation proceedings and leave to remove cases. Sources describe her as "a great person to work with: constructive, helpful and always infectiously happy.
Insights from LisaVIEW ALL
- 17.9.2025
Your Guide to Creating a Parenting Plan
A well-written parenting plan can help separated parents reduce conflict whilst putting children’s needs first. When parents divorce or...
Read more - 9.9.2025
Can I Move Assets During Divorce?
Can I move assets to a family member during my divorce? The breakdown of a marriage often leads to difficult...
Read more - 13.6.2025
Women’s Divorce Rights
What Women Need to Know About Divorce Divorce can have significant consequences for women, particularly if they are not the...
Read more - 1.4.2025
Grey Divorce: How to Have A Good Separation...
More and more couples are choosing to part ways in their older years, when their financial affairs are at their...
Read more - 1.3.2025
Divorcing with Children: What Parents Need to Know
For decades, unhappy couples believed they should stay together ‘for the sake of the children.’ Society has moved away from...
Read more - 21.2.2025
Protecting Business Privacy in Divorce Financial Proceedings
Business owners: protecting privacy of confidential information in financial proceedings on divorce We represent many business-owners in financial proceedings on...
Read more - 13.2.2025
Divorced Parents: Resolving School Choice Disputes
What Happens When Divorced Parents Can’t Agree on School Choice? The decision of where to send your children to...
Read more - 4.2.2025
Expensive Purchases in Prenups: Joint or Sole Property?
Prenuptial agreements: are expensive purchases joint or sole property? The experienced family lawyers at Osbornes Law advise wealthy and high...
Read more - 23.1.2025
Contempt of Court: Law Commission’s Reform Proposals
Reforming Contempt of Court: Law Commission’s Proposals The Law Commission had been tasked by the Government to review the...
Read more - 16.1.2025
Divorce for Men Explained: Your Rights and Options
What Men Need to Know About Divorce Men and women have the same legal rights during divorce in England and...
Read more - 29.10.2024
Economic Disadvantage in Divorce: Can You Be Compensated?
Giving Up High Earnings: Can A Party Be Compensated For Economic Disadvantage? In financial remedies cases, the fact that one...
Read more - 24.10.2024
Can a Declaration of Trust Stand in Matrimonial...
Matrimonial Homes: Can A Declaration Of Trust Of Beneficial Ownership Stand? Resolving issues relating to ownership of the former matrimonial...
Read more - 1.10.2024
Divorce in Your 70s: What You Need To...
The Financial Considerations for Separation in your 70s? Age is not a barrier to getting divorced, but separating after retirement...
Read more - 1.9.2024
Divorce in Your 50s
What Are the Financial Considerations for Separation in your 50s? Divorcing in your 50s is not the same as divorcing...
Read more - 12.8.2024
NA v LA [2024] EWFC 113: Judge Orders Non-Court Dispute...
Financial Claims: Judges Can Order Parties To Attempt Non-Court Dispute Resolution As was expected, the court has been quick to...
Read more - 5.8.2024
Why Did Lauryn Goodman Take Kyle Walker to...
Introduction to the case After a judge took the unusual step of making his judgement public, we’re starting to...
Read more - 11.7.2024
Unmarried With Children and Splitting Up
Unmarried with Children? What are your Financial Rights? Know Your Financial Rights Under Schedule One Children Act 1989 A claim under...
Read more - 17.6.2024
What is Early Neutral Evaluation?
Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) is a form of Non-Court Dispute Resolution where the separated couple invites a neutral third party...
Read more - 14.6.2024
What Happens If You Have a Joint Mortgage...
Understanding whether you can keep a joint mortgage after divorce is crucial, especially if both parties are still liable for...
Read more - 28.5.2024
Short-term marriage divorce settlements
A Marriage is a Marriage — Even if it’s short and childless When deciding who gets what in a divorce,...
Read more - 13.5.2024
Impact of extended family wealth on divorce
Can the wealth of extended family affect your divorce outcomes? While there is no fundamental legal difference between a high-net-worth...
Read more - 16.4.2024
NCDR Rules Guide Couples Away From Court
What is Non-Court Dispute Resolution (NCDR)? NCDR is the current buzz word in the family law world, following recent rule...
Read more - 21.12.2023
Financial Remedy Orders Explained
It is common for disagreements to arise over the finances during a divorce, even if you are on good terms...
Read more - 14.12.2023
Parental alienation: A legal overview
Sometimes, a child may turn against one of their parents due to the other parent’s manipulation or influence. This...
Read more