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Family law brief: August 2025

08 August 2025 / Ellie Hampson-Jones
Issue: 8128 / Categories: Features , Divorce , Family
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In the summer update, Ellie Hampson-Jones delivers a bumper Standish v Standish special
  • The Supreme Court has clarified that non-matrimonial property—including assets acquired before the marriage—should generally be excluded from the sharing principle in divorce settlements.
  • The judgment reinforced the distinction between matrimonial and non-matrimonial property, stating that the source of the wealth, not the title or transfer process, determines its classification.
  • The ruling provides a clearer framework for family law and wealth management practitioners, particularly regarding how non-matrimonial assets may become matrimonial through shared treatment over time.

On 30 April and 1 May 2025, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom heard the appeal of Mrs Standish against the decision of the Court of Appeal to reduce her divorce award by 45%, from £45m to £25m, the largest ever amount by percentage and value. On 2 July 2025, just two months after the hearing, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Mrs Standish’s appeal ([2025] UKSC 26).

This is the first case since White v White [2001] 1 AC

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

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Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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