What is a Prenup?

Marriages and defacto relationships often fail leaving parties in a quandary as to how to settle their financial affairs. In the event that you are organised and have a Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreement, then your property and finances will, in all likelihood, be divided in accordance with your wishes in the event that your relationship breaks down.

Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreements can be made at the start of a relationship, during the course of a relationship or after the relationship has broken down.

Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreements are regulated by the law and include a provision that each party must be represented by an independent legal advisor who must give those parties certain advice and certify that they have done so. In the event that these technical requirements are not adhered to, then it is quite possible that a Court will overturn the Agreement and it may be of no effect.

Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreements apply not only to marriages but in relation to defacto relationships as well. You are living in a defacto relationship when you and your partner are living together on a genuine domestic basis but you are not married to each other. A large number of matters are looked at to define defacto relationships, including the length of time that you have been in the relationship, whether finances are intermingled, whether you live together under the one roof and whether you have children together. There are other matters that are considered as well.

In the event that your relationship breaks down and you do not have a Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreement, then it is essential that you obtain immediate legal advice on your rights and obligations. We can assist you negotiating a settlement, however, it is always wise to give early consideration to entering into a Pre-Nuptial/Financial Agreement so that the future contains some certainty.

Should you have a query, contact one of our lawyers on (03) 9088 3184.

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