Lunch and Learn about Pre and Post Nuptials

lunch & Learn with Elisabeth Sneade, Partner & Head of Family, Edmondson Hall Solicitors

Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements are becoming increasingly common for couples looking to bring clarity, fairness and certainty to their financial arrangements. They can be particularly relevant where there are business interests, inherited assets, second families, significant differences in wealth, or a desire to protect children’s future security.

In this Lunch & Learn, Elisabeth Sneade (Partner & Head of Family at Edmondson Hall Solicitors) will explain what pre and post-nuptial agreements are, how they sit within the wider family law landscape, and how they interact with family mediation. We will focus on what mediators and mediation services need to understand in practice: how to handle client questions, when to signpost, how to manage expectations, and how to keep discussions constructive without straying into legal advice.

This session is designed to be practical and accessible. It will help mediators and admin teams feel confident when these agreements arise in MIAMs, financial disclosure, and negotiated outcomes.

What we will cover

• What pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements are, and why couples use them
• Common scenarios: business assets, inherited wealth, second families, international elements
• How “weight” and enforceability work in practice, and the key risk factors
• Timing, independent legal advice, disclosure and fairness: what good looks like
• How nuptial agreements can support (or complicate) mediation discussions
• Drafting, heads of terms, and how mediation outcomes may feed into legal documents
• Mediator boundaries: neutrality, confidentiality, without prejudice, and not giving legal advice
• When to encourage independent legal advice and how to signpost appropriately

Who this session is for

• Family mediators, 
• PPCs, 
• administrators, 
• managers and anyone supporting MIAMs or financial mediation where nuptial agreements may be raised.