Specialist Divorce

Our specialist divorce lawyers are highly skilled and use extensive experience to deal with some of the more complex issues which may arise in the context of a divorce and a specific situation or set of facts. We will take time to understand concerns, complexities and priorities of those individuals facing a difficult divorce and can provide advice and support on high-value and complex disputes.

Different Types of Specialist Divorce

Farmers

We will advise you as to how land and property assets might be treated in a divorce, both in the context of meeting needs and where asset protection and succession planning might be a relevant factor. We will also look at the existence of any documentation or partnership agreements which might be in place and how wider family ownership or farming tenancies might come into play. Where needed we will work with expert surveyors and farm managers to ensure accurate valuations of land, property, live and dead stock and development potential are obtained. We will work with specialist rural accountants to ensure all tax and liquidity implications pertaining to the divorce are properly explored and understood.

Divorce Involving Companies or Partnerships

Valuation and liquidity issues are often the primary focus of a divorce involving a business or partnership, together with preservation for the future.  Alongside looking at the legal principles which govern how businesses are considered we will assist in looking at how a business can be preserved, shared or sold, depending on the priority of spouses involved. We will work with specialist forensic accountants and tax advisers as part of the process and if necessary, our employment team can assist with employment issues such as removing a spouse from within a business if they do not wish to remain business partners going forward. We can also consider the wider company issues which may arise alongside a matrimonial dispute such as the use of ongoing shareholder agreements.

Armed Forces & Police

Individuals which are active members or veterans of the armed forces or police service often require specialist advice on divorce. We have experience acting for both member and non-member spouses of Armed Forces and Police Pension schemes. We can help consider the nuances of the AFPS to include looking at the different schemes held within the AFPS structure and where a service member has been medically discharged and might be in receipt of Early Departure Payments, a War Disablement Pension, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. Where necessary, we will obtain input from actuaries or PODEs (Pension on Divorce Experts) who assist in calculating how a pension should be shared.

Medical Professionals

Our team has many years of experience in advising medical professionals to include doctors, dentists, nurses and medical practice managers. We can assist with issues which might arise around the valuation of a medical practice as well as looking at the complexities around NHS pension to include both final salary and Career Average Related Earnings (CARE) schemes. We can also help consider how multiple income strands are treated to include company vehicles or corporate structures set up for holding or extracting private income.

International divorces

Our team has extensive experience in advising on jurisdictional issues, to include securing jurisdiction and the enforcement of both English order abroad or foreign financial orders in England and Wales.  We also regularly advise individuals with assets held outside of England and Wales and those who might have financial claims on assets held overseas. This includes assets personally held and those held in offshore trusts and corporate structures, in jurisdictions such as Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman Islands or BVI. We regularly deal with the interaction between international issues and pensions, either in English proceedings involving overseas pensions or assisting in overseas proceedings involving a member of an English pension scheme. We are also instructed by those seeking financial provision in England after an overseas divorce or those having to navigate difficult tax situations or double taxation in the context of their proposed divorce settlement. 

Entrepreneurs and High Net Worth

High net worth divorces and divorces involving entrepreneurs often require tailored, strategic advice given the scale and complexity of the assets involved. Our specialist divorce lawyers regularly support individuals whose wealth is held across businesses, property portfolios, investments, inherited assets and corporate structures, ensuring each element is accurately valued and correctly approached in the context of a divorce and matrimonial settlement negotiation. We’re able to help whether you are a business owner seeking to safeguard your company or an individual with diverse investments.

We work closely with forensic accountants, tax specialists and corporate advisers to assess liquidity, future growth, risk exposure and the long‑term implications of any proposed division of assets. This enables us to protect business continuity, preserve family wealth and create commercially sound settlement options that reflect both present and future financial realities.

Couples divorcing – One Couple, One Lawyer

The “one couple one lawyer” model allows us to advise both spouses   together in the hope that conflict is reduced and a fair agreement is reached more quickly. Our lawyers offering this service have all undertaken specialist training and understand how to approach cases on this basis as a neutral specialist adviser. It means that couples can focus on open communication which can hopefully help to preserve a respectful relationship in the future.

How our Family Law team can help

Our Family Law team is now over 50 people strong and that allows us to advise upon a wealth of specialisms and areas. We are also consistently top-ranked in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall within the major legal directories; The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, with many of our lawyers being individually ranked for both their expertise and client service.  Our size and positioning means we can advise on cases which require deep local knowledge but also act for clients all over the county and internationally with our high- level commercial knowledge and business aptitude.

Having a broad spectrum of legal advisers also provides us with the agility to find the right person in our team to help, both in terms of experience and in assisting clients navigate a very difficult time as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Frequently asked questions:

What is a specialist divorce?

A specialist divorce is one which involves a more complex set of facts or high net worth, and may involve approaching expert accountants, surveyors or pension advisers to help reach a conclusion.

What are some common complex issues in a divorce​?

These might include valuation issues, looking at the source and history of wealth and the status of matrimonial and non-matrimonial assets, the treatment of family businesses and farms, trusts, international assets and complex or valuable pension assets.

How long do divorce proceedings take​?

It’s always difficult to give an accurate timescale as each divorce is dependent on its own facts but in general a divorce should take around 9 months to resolve and finances, provided they are relatively straightforward can be resolved in that time. If issues are complex or require specialist expertise or court proceeds are necessary, matters can take as long as 12-24 months to resolve.