David Pickering, family partner at north of England-focused law firm DWF thinks upticks in the economy may lead spouses to cash in on changes of emphasis in the law. And when there are significant sums of money at stake it can turn a stressful event into a nightmare.

“Every year DWF works on a variety of cases for high net worth individuals whose marriage has come to an end, this can range from assets of half a million, up to £100 million [about $150 million].  In these situations, the determination by negotiation or order of the Court of any settlement figure can sometimes last months.

“With a rise in the number of shorter marriages breaking down, businessmen and women in the country are falling victim to developments in marital law. The advent of ‘marital acquest’ means that all assets acquired during marriage or which grow in value during the marriage, including business and investment assets as well as the matrimonial home, are to be divided. 

“The law now appears to give less weight to the length of marriage when settling divorce claims which seems to have led to a number of marriages resulting in divorce after only a short time.  Such a trend may raise a few eyebrows however, with a major concern being that this emphasis in the law on the marital acquest may encourage some of the gold diggers out there to seek out more affluent individuals for a quick gain.

“Whatever the motive, divorce has become a prominent part of British life. In 2008 over 136,000 couples filed for divorce in the UK. As we slowly pull out of recession this is a figure we can expect to rise, as the value of assets gradually recovers and people feel more financially ready to divorce.”