The Global Legal Post today launches an online comparative jurisdictional guide to Family Asset Protection edited by leading international family lawyer Marcus Dearle.

The Law Over Borders Family Asset Protection: Divorce, Finance and the Media guide features contributions by leading family law and contentious trusts specialists from around the world.

It sets out to provide a practical and up-to-date jurisdictional comparison focusing on family asset protection issues in a divorce context on the topics of trusts, pre- and postnuptial agreements, financial disclosure, financial orders, enforcement and the extent to which the media can report on family law cases.

The easy-to-use digital format allows readers to quickly assess the regimes of key jurisdictions by comparing contributing authors’ answers to a series of carefully framed questions. 

Dearle, senior partner of London boutique Miles Preston and immediate past chair of the International Bar Association Family Law Committee, notes in the introduction a ‘gap in the market for a guide specifically focussed on family asset protection issues in a divorce context – especially on trusts and pre- and postnuptial agreement issues, as these are the areas in which wealthy individuals and families need particular help and guidance on’. 

He adds: “I have also noticed a need to include coverage on media and transparency issues, including on whether the press can gain access to and/or report on what parties have hitherto usually assumed would be kept private and well away from the often critical gaze of the media.”

A case Dearle is advising on hit the headlines in July last year when Sir Jonathan Cohen dismissed a substantive Judgment Summons brought by Lady Hiroko Barclay against her former husband, Sir Frederick Barclay, for non-payment of £50m of a total award of £100m. 

The judgment confirmed the case involved a ‘web of highly complex overseas trust arrangements’ with Cohen holding that Dearle, representing Sir Frederick, had made ‘repeated attempts to obtain information’ about the relevant trusts and been ‘consistently blocked in his efforts’.

Contributing firms to the guide include: Gasser Partner (Austria and Liechtenstein), Conyers Dill & Pearman (Bermuda), Miles Preston (England and Wales and Hong Kong), CBBC Avocats (France), Chiomenti (Italy), Baker & Partners (Jersey), Princes Chambers (New Zealand), Turcan Connell (Scotland), and Miller Du Toit Cloete (South Africa). 

The print version of the guide will be available in June and be officially launched at Luxury Law Summit London, which takes place at the British Museum on 13 June.

Click here to read the guide online or here to purchase print or pdf versions.

The guide is the ninth in the Law Over Borders series, following the launches of Arbitration, ESG, Private Client, Artificial Intelligence, Luxury Law, Fashion Law, FDI and Anti-counterfeiting guides. 

Forthcoming additions to the series include Commercial Litigation and Crossborder Enforcement, Crypto Assets, Patent Litigation and Digital Transformation. 

For further information about the Global Legal Post Law Over Border guides email associate publisher claudiatan@globalcitymedia.com.