Family Law Solicitors
A prenuptial agreement lets you and your partner agree, before you marry, how your assets would be divided if the marriage ever ended.
Our prenuptial agreement solicitors act for couples across Staffordshire, from our offices in Stafford and Rugeley, drafting clear, properly evidenced agreements that protect property, savings, a business, or assets you want to keep for children from an earlier relationship.
We offer all new clients a free 30-minute consultation at which we will also be able to give you a clear guide to the potential costs of preparing an agreement.
Call our Stafford office on 01785 603060 or our Rugeley office on 01889 803080, or make an enquiry online.
This is the question almost everyone asks. A prenuptial agreement is not automatically binding in England and Wales in the way a contract is, but the courts will normally uphold one, and give it decisive weight, where it has been entered into properly and is fair. The leading case, Radmacher v Granatino, confirmed that a court should give effect to an agreement freely entered into by both parties with a full appreciation of its implications, unless it would be unfair to hold them to it.
In practice, a court is far more likely to uphold an agreement where:
We make sure your agreement meets these requirements, so it is as robust as it can be if it is ever tested.
In June 2026 the government opened a consultation, A fairer end to relationships, proposing that “qualifying nuptial agreements” should become legally binding for the first time. Under the proposals an agreement would bind the court where it is made as a deed, signed outside the 28 days before the wedding, supported by financial disclosure and independent legal advice on both sides, and provides for each party's needs and those of any children.
The consultation closed in August 2026 and the government's response is awaited, so nothing has changed yet. What it does mean is that an agreement drafted properly now, to those standards, is well placed whichever way the reforms go. It is another reason not to leave this to the last few weeks before a wedding.
Call 01785 603060 or 01889 803080, or make an enquiry online, and we will talk it through at your free 30-minute consultation.
Couples increasingly marry later, or remarry, with assets they have worked hard for. A prenuptial agreement can set out what happens to:
It cannot decide arrangements for children or child maintenance, which remain matters for the court. It is often prepared as part of wider wealth and estate planning, alongside your will, and alongside a financial settlement if an earlier marriage has ended.
We can help at whatever stage you are:
Timing matters to enforceability. An agreement signed in a rush, days before the wedding, is far easier to challenge. The recognised benchmark, recommended by the Law Commission and carried into the government's current proposals, is that an agreement should be signed at least 28 days before the ceremony.
An agreement made later is not automatically worthless, but it is harder to defend, so the earlier you start the better: there needs to be time for disclosure, advice and negotiation without pressure.
If you are already married, you can put the same protections in place with a post-nuptial agreement.
How much a prenuptial agreement costs depends on your particular circumstances; the complexity of your financial arrangements, for example, where there are business interests or trusts to consider. We will work to a clear, pre-agreed hourly rate. We set this out, along with an initial fee estimate, at your free consultation before you commit and we will always ensure you are kept fully up to date on costs as your matter progresses.
Your agreement is handled by our family law team, led by Donna Nicholls, Partner and Head of Department for Family. Meet the full family law team.
Not automatically, but the courts will normally uphold a prenuptial agreement that was entered into freely, with independent advice and full financial disclosure on both sides, and that is fair. A properly drafted agreement carries significant weight, and the government is consulting on making qualifying agreements binding.
Yes. No one can be forced to sign a prenuptial agreement, and an agreement signed under pressure is far less likely to be upheld. Both parties must enter into it freely, which is exactly why independent legal advice matters.
There is no fixed expiry, but an agreement should be reviewed after a significant life change, such as having children or a major change in finances, so that it still reflects your circumstances and remains fair. We can build in a review at agreed intervals.
Not a prenup, but you can achieve the same protection with a post-nuptial agreement, which works on very similar principles. See our post-nuptial agreements page.
An unmarried couple can protect their position with a cohabitation agreement instead. See our cohabitation agreement solicitors page.
We explain the cost at your free consultation, before you commit to anything. All work is charged at a clear hourly rate and an overall cost estimate provided.
If you are planning to marry and want to protect what matters, the time to act is now, well before the wedding. Book a free 30-minute consultation for clear, practical advice.
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