Julia Cluley considers if spouses can be prevented from claiming inheritance on divorce
A party to a marriage or civil partnership may understandably be concerned to know whether their spouse might be awarded a share of assets inherited, if they ever divorce – and what, if anything, they could do to reduce the chance of this happening.
Matrimonial property
Firstly, there is a general principle, even where short marriages or civil partnerships are concerned, that property acquired during the marriage through joint efforts of the parties should normally be shared equally on divorce. This includes the family home, regardless of how, when, or by which party it was acquired. Such property is known as matrimonial property.
In some cases, courts have to decide how to deal with property - ot...
