High Net Worth Prenuptial Agreement Solicitors

At Prenuptial Agreement Solicitors, we provide specialist high net worth prenuptial agreements for individuals or couples with assets above £3 million, or with complex holdings such as a private company, trust interests or overseas property.

Who Needs a High Net Worth Prenuptial Agreement?

The more valuable and complex your assets, the more is at stake if a court has to divide them on divorce. Without an agreement, the courts in England and Wales start from the principle that matrimonial assets are shared equally. A prenup records, before the wedding, which assets you both agree should be kept separate. A high net worth prenup is particularly important if:

• You own a business. You want to protect a private company or partnership share from valuation disputes and a forced sale.
• You have inherited, or expect to inherit, family wealth. You want it treated as non-matrimonial property.
• You hold assets before the marriage. This includes property, investment portfolios or share options you want ring-fenced.
• You have trust interests. You are a beneficiary of a family trust and want to clarify its status.
• You have overseas assets. You own international property or have financial ties to more than one country.
• You have significant pensions. This includes SIPPs, defined benefit schemes or large accumulated funds.
• You have children from a previous relationship. You want to protect their future inheritance.
• You own high-value collections. Art, classic cars, jewellery or other collectables you want to keep.
• There is a large income gap between you. You want clarity on maintenance expectations.

What’s Included in the £1,800 Fixed Fee

The fixed fee covers everything one party needs to put a properly drafted, solicitor-advised prenuptial agreement in place:

• Initial consultation with a specialist family law solicitor to understand your assets, family circumstances and objectives.
• Bespoke drafting of your prenuptial agreement, tailored to your assets, not a template, and prepared to meet the criteria the Supreme Court set in Radmacher v Granatino.
• Legal advice for you on what the agreement means, how a court in England and Wales is likely to treat it, and the risks of the terms you choose.
• Advice on asset classification, covering which assets are likely to be matrimonial or non-matrimonial on divorce.
• Protective clauses for business interests, inherited wealth, trust interests, pensions, pre-marital property and future assets.
• Financial disclosure schedules setting out both parties’ assets, liabilities and income at the date of signing.
• Review of the other party’s disclosure and flagging gaps that could weaken the agreement.
• Up to two rounds of amendments following comments from your partner’s solicitor.
• Execution guidance on correct signing and witnessing, and the timing needed (at least 28 days before the wedding).
• Secure storage of the signed original.

What’s Not Included

To keep the fee fixed and the agreement robust, some work sits outside this service. We’ll tell you at the outset if any of it applies to you. Legal advice for your partner. We can only act for one of you. Solicitors are not allowed to advise both parties to a prenup because their interests conflict. Your partner must instruct their own independent solicitor at a different firm, at their own cost. If they don’t already have one, we can introduce them to a firm from our panel of independent partner firms, who will advise them separately and bill them directly. This is not a formality: an agreement signed without independent advice on both sides is far less likely to be upheld. We will send the draft to your partner’s solicitor and deal with their comments within the amendment rounds above. The following are not included in the fixed fee. If you need them, our solicitors can help at their hourly rate, and we’ll give you a quote before any work starts:

• Asset valuations. Business, property, pension (actuarial) or art and collectables valuations are provided by independent valuers and charged separately.
• Tax advice. Capital gains tax, inheritance tax or other tax planning, including the tax impact of transfers between spouses.
• Trust advice. Setting up, restructuring or advising on the terms of a trust.
• Foreign law advice. If you have assets in, or may live in, another country, advice on how that country’s courts would treat the agreement must come from a lawyer qualified there. We can work alongside them.
• Mirror or overseas agreements. Drafting a separate agreement under another country’s law.
• Wills. Marriage revokes an existing will in England and Wales, so you may need a new one.
• Extra negotiation. Amendment rounds beyond those included, or meetings with your partner’s solicitor.
• Post-nuptial agreements. Later reviews or updates after the wedding.
• Divorce proceedings. Court applications, financial remedy proceedings or enforcing the agreement on divorce.
• Notarisation and legalisation. Notary or apostille fees if the agreement must be used abroad.

Are Prenuptial Agreements Legally Binding in England and Wales?

Prenups are not automatically binding in England and Wales, but courts give them substantial weight. A judge still has the final say on any financial settlement. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Radmacher v Granatino (2010), the courts will uphold an agreement that each party entered freely, understanding its implications, unless it would be unfair to hold them to it in the circumstances at the time of divorce. In Standish v Standish (2025), the Supreme Court confirmed that the sharing principle applies to matrimonial property, not to assets brought into the marriage or received from outside it. Moving non-matrimonial wealth into a spouse’s name does not, by itself, make it shareable. A prenup that clearly identifies those assets, and records how you both intend them to be treated, makes that distinction much easier to prove.

What Makes a High Net Worth Prenup More Likely to Be Upheld

1. Full and frank financial disclosure from both parties, with values, before signing.
2. Independent legal advice for each party from separate solicitors.
3. Signing at least 28 days before the wedding, so there is no suggestion of pressure.
4. No duress or undue influence: both parties enter freely.
5. Fair provision for needs, particularly any children, so neither party is left in real need.
6. Regular review after major life events, such as children, a business sale or an inheritance, typically through a post-nuptial agreement.

Every agreement we draft is prepared to meet these Radmacher requirements. Where they are met, an English court is likely to give the agreement decisive weight. For high net worth clients, that can be the difference between a settlement based on needs and the equal division of everything.

How Our High Net Worth Prenup Service Works

1. Free callback. We confirm the service suits your assets and timescale.
2. Consultation and instructions. Your solicitor takes details of your assets, objectives and family circumstances.
3. Financial disclosure. You both complete disclosure schedules; we flag any valuations you’ll need.
4. Drafting. We draft your agreement and talk you through it.
5. Your partner’s solicitor reviews it. They advise your partner independently and send any proposed changes.
6. Amendments. We negotiate and finalise the wording.
7. Signing. You both sign, correctly witnessed, at least 28 days before the wedding. We store the original.

Start as early as you can. Complex or international cases take longer, and the agreement must be signed at least 28 days before the ceremony.

How Much Does a High Net Worth Prenuptial Agreement Cost?

Valuations, tax, trusts, foreign law, wills, extra negotiation, post-nups and court work are not in the fixed fee; we quote for them at our solicitors’ hourly rate.

High Net Worth Prenup FAQs

What counts as high net worth for a prenup?

There’s no legal definition. We use “high net worth” for individuals or couples with assets above £3 million, or with complex holdings such as a private business, trust interests or overseas property, whatever the total.

Can one solicitor act for both of us?

No. A solicitor can only advise one party to a prenup because your interests conflict. Your partner needs their own independent solicitor at a separate firm, at their own cost. We can introduce them to one of our independent partner firms if they need one.

Does the £1,800 fee cover my partner’s legal advice?

No. The fee covers drafting and advice for one party. Your partner pays their own solicitor separately for independent advice, and we can refer them to one of our independent partner firms.

Can a prenup protect my business?

Yes. A prenup can record that your business, or shares in it, are non-matrimonial property and set out how any growth during the marriage should be treated. This reduces the risk of valuation disputes and a forced sale on divorce.

Can a prenup protect an inheritance?

Yes. Inherited wealth is generally treated as non-matrimonial, but it can become shared if it is mixed with family finances. A prenup clearly records the inheritance, including future inheritances, as separate.

Will a prenup protect assets held abroad?

An English prenup sets out what the English courts should take into account, but other countries apply their own rules. If you have significant overseas assets, you may also need advice from a lawyer in that country or a mirror agreement.

Do we need full financial disclosure?

Yes. Both parties should give full and frank disclosure of assets, liabilities and income. Hiding or undervaluing assets is one of the most common reasons a court sets a prenup aside.

How long before the wedding should we sign?

At least 28 days before. Signing closer to the wedding risks a later argument that one of you was under pressure.

Can we change a prenup after we marry?

Yes. You update it with a post-nuptial agreement, which the courts treat in the same way. We recommend a review after major events such as having children, selling a business or receiving an inheritance.

How much does a high net worth prenup cost?

Our fixed fee is £1,800 incl VAT for drafting and advice for one party. High street firms commonly charge £10,000 to £30,000 or more for high-value agreements.

Protect Your Wealth Before You Marry

Whether you’re protecting a family business, a future inheritance or wealth built before you met, a properly drafted prenup gives you both certainty. Request a free, no-obligation callback or call our prenup solicitors on 01793 939 163.