Pithy and pertinent guide to matrimonial finance

This is a very useful guide for any practitioner, however experienced, involved in matrimonial finance applications.

It comes from the author of the Matrimonial Finance Toolkit, also published by the Law Society. The author has over 20 years’ experience in the field.

The book starts with a chapter on pre-instruction which covers money laundering and conflicts of interest, before addressing different charging models and client payment methods. There is a useful illustrative table of litigation loan providers and their cost.

This is followed by an extensive chapter on non-court resolution, dealt with in a question-and-answer mode, and covering mediation, collaborative practice, arbitration and early neutral evaluation, as well as solicitor negotiation.

A chapter on disclosure follows, with a good section on self-help in the light of Imerman. There is a lengthy section on financial procedure and other chapters cover available orders, experts and negotiations and consent orders.

The chapter on financial remedy for children carries detailed passages on child support, as administered by the Child Maintenance Service, which are most welcome.

The appendices include some very useful features. A flow chart about the remarriage trap to accompany the section in the book should help us avoid negligence claims in this area. The consent order checklist gives the standard order numbers required when preparing the relevant draft order.

The author was a member of the Pension Advisory Group, so it is not unexpected that there is a good section on pensions in the book and reference to the group’s report, A Guide to the Treatment of Pensions on Divorce.

The work is a pithy 163 pages plus appendices. However, it is bulked out by various website links scattered through the text. A very worthy addition to the family law library.

Tony Roe is a family law consultant at Penningtons Manches Cooper