Family Law

Divorce is rarely only about the marriage. More often, it means decisions about children, the home, the business and financial security for years to come. When emotions run high, it is easy to make decisions that cannot be reversed later. Our role is to help you see the whole picture and act deliberately.

We work in two directions: we help manage family legal risks in advance, and we represent clients once a dispute has already arisen. We specialise in complex cases where property, company shares, an international element and the interests of children are intertwined.

Private clients: family legal risk management

The best time to reach an agreement is while there is no dispute. We help families and business owners assess in advance what would happen in the event of divorce, illness, death or the handover of a business, and arrange their assets and decision-making so that they reflect your wishes.

• Family legal risk assessmentwe review the legal structure of your assets, business and family relationships and show where the risks of disputes or loss of assets lie.
• Marital agreementsbefore and during marriage: the legal regime of property, separation of business and personal assets, the spouses' obligations.
• Succession planning and willshow to pass on assets so that they go to those for whom they are intended and do not become the subject of a dispute.
• Family business successionshareholders' agreements, restrictions on the transfer of shares and continuity of management as generations change.
• Advance directives and powers of attorneywho will make decisions, and how, should illness or old age prevent you from doing so yourself.
• International familieswhere assets or family members are located in several countries: choice of applicable law under the EU Succession Regulation, the European Certificate of Succession.

Divorce and family property

• Dissolution of marriageby mutual consent, at the request of one spouse or on the grounds of fault, including cases with an international element.
• Division of family propertyreal estate, property acquired before marriage, investment of personal funds and compensation for improvements to property, recognition of debts as personal.
• Business and shares in divorcedivision of company shares, assessment of the increase in value of a business and trademarks.
• Bad-faith conduct by a spouseconcealment of assets or their transfer into the names of other persons, misappropriation of joint funds, invalidation of transactions.
• Property of unmarried partnersdivision of jointly acquired property where the marriage was not registered.

Children

• Place of residence and contact arrangementsdetermining them and changing them when circumstances change.
• Maintenanceawarding child maintenance and changing its amount, issues relating to child benefits received abroad.
• International disputeswrongful removal or retention of a child under the Hague Convention.
• Parentage and paternitycases on establishing a child's parentage and contesting paternity.

Inheritance disputes

• Disputes between heirscontesting wills, disputes among heirs, division of inherited property.
• Procedural mattersrestoring the time limit for accepting an inheritance, establishing a legal fact, acquisitive prescription.

How we work

First, we establish what matters most to you – the children, a particular asset, the business or a swift conclusion of the proceedings – and choose the strategy accordingly. We gather financial evidence in good time, while it is still available, and assess the prospects of an amicable settlement and the risks in court. In family cases, what you say to the other party, and how you say it, also matters, so we help with this as well.

If you believe that your spouse is preparing for divorce or dealing with assets without your knowledge, consult an attorney before taking any action.

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