The tables have turned in Hollywood and 2012 saw even more women celebrities insisting their fiancés sign prenuptial agreements before their multimilliondollar weddings.

Some of the pre-nuptial requests were a little unusual. Nicole Kidman is reported to have insisted husband Keith Urban sign a prenuptial which means he will forfeit a share of her fortune if he takes illegal drugs.

Jessica Biel’s prenuptial ensures husband Justin Timberlake will pay for being unfaithful and singer Miley Cyrus has reportedly proposed that fiancé Liam Hemsworth signs a prenuptial agreement to ensure she keeps her pet dogs if they separate.

Although celebrity prenuptial agreements may include bizarre requests which wouldn’t necessarily be recognised in an English court, it’s not just celebrities or people who are fabulously wealthy who are looking to use a prenuptial agreement to protect their interests.

The team of family solicitors at Crombie Wilkinson are seeing a rise in inquiries and instructions for this type of work.

Head of family law, Chris Myles explains: “People seem more aware about the need to protect their assets, including family wealth and inheritance and we’ve seen a rise in the number of people requesting advice about prenuptial agreements.

“Couples still seem to find it difficult or embarrassing to discuss the possibility of separation ahead of ‘the big day’ and this is understandable, but the consequences of failing to enter into a prenuptial agreement before marriage can be disastrous to the more wealthy party.

“I urge anyone considering whether they need to protect their position in what is a very open and fair way to seek advice about a prenuptial agreement at the earliest opportunity.”

In order to be valid, a prenuptial agreement must be signed at least three weeks before the wedding and preferably sooner than this.

Both parties will need to be represented by separate solicitors and they will need to disclose full details of their personal finances and set out the arrangements for how their finances will be organised if they separate.

Crombie Wilkinson solicitor Rachell Bates said: “Prenuptial agreements aren’t for everyone. They are bespoke and must be tailored to the individual couple. For many couples, they are happy to agree that once they have had children together, the combined assets and income should be divided between them without any recognition of who brought what into the marriage.

“However prenuptials come into their own when one party, either the woman or the man, has brought significantly more wealth into the marriage, the couple don’t have children together and then separate after a short time.”

The reality is that despite the fact fewer of us are getting married in the UK, sadly one in two marriages ends in divorce. This means that everyone preparing for their wedding should consider the benefits of a prenuptial agreement.

Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors has nine legal advisors in their family law team, based across three offices.
For advice about prenuptial agreements or any other family matter, phone:
Chris Myles York office T: 01904 624185
Rachell Bates Malton office T: 01653 600070
Mark Robinson Selby office T: 01757 708957
More information about the legal services provided by Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors can be found by visiting crombiewilkinson.co.uk