Cohabitation agreements and pre -marital agreements
If you and your partner intend to live together without getting married, we can advise you on the legal implications of this and should you require it, prepare a cohabitation agreement setting out your financial and domestic arrangements should your relationship subsequently break down, with a view to seeking to avoid possible court proceedings in the future.
Cohabitation agreements can be particularly relevant where you and your partner intend to purchase a property together, whether in your joint names or in the sole name of either party, or where one party intends to contribute financially to property owned by the other.
If you and your partner intend to marry, we can also advise you on a pre-marital agreement and can prepare such a document on your behalf prior to your marriage. The purpose of such an agreement is to set out in advance an appropriate financial settlement should your marriage subsequently break down, with a view to avoiding contested court proceedings. Whilst such agreements are not currently strictly binding under english law, there is a growing trend towards the courts recognising their importance and attaching appropriate weight to them in particular circumstances.
If you wish to consider the preparation of either a cohabitation or pre-marital agreement, please contact us to arrange an appointment to see a member of our family law team.