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How to protect existing and future assets with a nuptial agreement
The private family law team at Tilly Bailey & Irvine regularly advise clients who are contemplating marriage or remarriage as to how to protect assets they already own , may come to own or may be gifted or inherited .
A prenuptial agreement , as the name would suggest , is an agreement that is entered into by both parties before getting married . A postnuptial agreement is an agreement entered into after marriage . A nuptial agreement ( pre- or postmarriage ) is a formal , written agreement that dictates how property and assets accrued by a party shall be dealt with in the event of the marriage breaking down . Such agreements can be viewed as “ unromantic ”, but can be a useful tool for a party who wishes to protect specific assets , for example , pre-owned properties , savings and investments , an inheritance ,
business interests or pension accrual .
Nuptial agreements are worth considering when shareholdings may be passed to a younger generation or where land is to be transferred to a party , such as where there is a farming enterprise .
More weight can be placed by the court on these agreements when applying factors such as both parties having entered into the agreement voluntarily without undue influence and having taken legal advice as to the implications upon the breakdown of the marriage .
Best practice is the agreement should
Expertise – Tilly Bailey & Irvine ’ s private family law team .
be executed not less than a month before the date of the marriage . However , a nuptial agreement is unlikely to be upheld if the terms are no longer deemed fair , owing to various factors .
A nuptial agreement , if prepared correctly , can be effective in the UK and may save parties extensive costs following the breakdown of the marriage .
For more information or to arrange to discuss matters further , please contact Wendy Beacom , head of the private family law team , on 01740 646000 .
£ 100,000 investment to provide safer transport
Consistency and reliability are key priorities to be able to achieve the highest levels of service to clients of Coatham Coaches .
That is why the business has made a statement of intent in the shape of a £ 100,000 investment in new state-of-theart equipment to keep their modern fleet of coaches in peak condition .
Working with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and its business engagement team , Coatham ’ s managing director Mark Hodgson says the longestablished business has sourced funding to help the firm work towards digitising its workshop .
Mark said : “ After setting out our growth plans , and through discussions with David Hitchen and the council ’ s engagement team , we were able to secure valuable advice towards securing some substantial support necessary to take the project forward .
“ It is our aim to be Teesside ’ s first coach operator to meet DVSA ’ s new Earned Recognition status . We have purchased state-of-the-art vehicle diagnostic equipment from Jaltest together with a suite of emissions , headlight and brake-testing equipment from Totalkare , which will helps us meet and exceed compliance standards .”
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency ( DVSA ) Earned Recognition scheme is a new way for vehicle operators to prove an organisation meets stringent driver and vehicle standards .
This is done by the company regularly sharing key performance information with DVSA , including driver hours information and maintenance records - a truly transparent way of continuous monitoring to make sure an operator is meeting the most exacting standards .
Mark added : “ All of our driver data is digital , with our operations team continually monitoring compliance through software from Trutac . This is
taken one step further with live driver hours information through our tracking software from Samsara .”
The next step is to upgrade the back-office IT infrastructure to allow all maintenance information to be uploaded digitally direct from the workshop .
Mark explained : “ We want to provide assurances to our clients that we can demonstrate that our passengers ’ safety is paramount .
“ Our continual investment in our workshops , fleet and driver training will always be key to making sure we meet our stated objective : To get you there on time , or in your own time , in a comfortable , safe and sustainable way .” For more details , visit coathamcoaches . co . uk .
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