Rising Popularity of Pre-nuptial Agreements

Law firms in the UK have reported a dramatic increase in the numbers of people asking for pre-nuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements, with some firms seeing a 50% rise in the past year.

Particularly popular with celebrities and the super rich, pre-nups (or pre-marital contracts) are now frequently being requested by ordinary couples who want to protect their assets in the event that their relationship breaks down.

Some legal experts believe that a double dip recession and financial uncertainty is partly responsible for the trend but others are of the opinion that it has simply become more acceptable for partners to broach the subject before they marry.

With the current divorce rate many people are looking on the prenup as an insurance policy that offers protection for savings, investments, pensions and property. Nobody goes into a long term commitment like marriage or co-habitation expecting it to fail but many now agree that it makes practical sense to be prepared in case the worst happens.