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NLJ this week: Potanina v Potanin & the long reach of the English courts

08 December 2023
Issue: 8052 / Categories: Legal News , Family , International
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The long-running divorce case, Potanina v Potanin, involving one of Russia’s richest families, has recently been heard by the UK Supreme Court

In this week’s NLJ, Harriet Errington, family partner at Boodle Hatfield, with the support of Annette Spycher at Kellerhals-Carrard, take a look at this fascinating case, which brings into focus ‘the wide-ranging powers of the English court to intervene following foreign divorce proceedings’.

In this divorce, both parties were Russian and had lived their married life in Russia. They were not wealthy when they married but during the marriage the husband amassed circa US$20bn. The husband paid the wife US$76.1m when they split in 2007. Litigation ensued. The wife moved to London in 2014 on an investor visa. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the wife can apply for financial relief in England following an overseas divorce?

Errington, supported by Spycher, look at the case, the legislation underpinning it, and how other jurisdictions tackle this issue. They write: ‘The law in England and Wales now encourages forum shopping and divorce tourism in big money cases such as this. Where parties have a very limited connection to England, as is arguable in the case in question, should the law really accommodate a second bite of the cherry following extensive litigation overseas?’ 

Issue: 8052 / Categories: Legal News , Family , International
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

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Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

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Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

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NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
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