Family law could be changing - but what might this mean for you?

Posted on: 12/06/2026

Category: For you

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The government has started a consultation process to reconsider how family law affects married and unmarried couples. Based on what has been proposed, this could mean that:

• Nuptial agreements are more likely to be treated as legally binding.
• Financial safeguards could be implemented for unmarried couples similar to (but not as wide as for) married couples if they have been in a relationship of more than 3 years or sooner if they have a child together. This affects over 3.5 million couples who live together but aren’t married or in a civil partnership (Ministry of Justice).
• Partners could have similar rights as a spouse to inherit if there’s no will in place.
• The financial remedy process could become codified, meaning that clients could get clearer, more predictable rules for how finances are handled during separation, rather than decisions relying mainly on what feels “fair” in each case.
• The impact of domestic abuse could be considered more fully (especially finances), affecting the overall settlement.

Whilst we welcome this news, it is important to note that this is just a consultation and doesn’t mean that this has yet become law. The consultation closes on 14th August 2026 - it’s definitely worth watching this space if anything changes.