Case Studies

Background:

• Client: Wife
• Three children under 18.
• 15-year marriage.
• Property portfolio.
• Interim maintenance requirements being disputed.

 Remit:

• To provide figures for an Interim Maintenance Budget.
• Verify income requirement with an in-depth analysis 12 month expenditure analysis.
• To cross-reference, verify and consolidate all relevant financial data.
• To submit figures in Form E compatible format.

 Outcome:

• Confirmed Interim Maintenance Budget requirement.
• Verified financial statement.
• Figures submitted in Form E compatible format.
• Fully justified Interim Maintenance Allowance.
• Judge accepted Pennywise's analysis as accurate and impartial and ruled in client's favour.  The husband's objections were dismissed.
• The husband's lawyers subsequently approached us to assist them on other cases.

Background:

• Client: Wife
• One dependent child.
• Two-year marriage.
• One UK property.
• Denied knowledge of marital finances.

 Remit:

• To research figures for Interim Maintenance Budget based on inventory provided.
• To create an income needs schedule - Future Budget Estimate.

 Outcome:

• Realistic figures provided for Interim Maintenance Budget.
• Credible Future Budget Estimate created.
• Increased likelihood of fair financial settlement.  Case still ongoing.

Background:

• Client: Wife
• Full-time mother with one child still living at home.
• 40-year marriage.
• Estate Trust controlling all finances.
• Seeking Clean Break financial settlement.

 Remit:

• To establish if financial settlement offer was fair and realistic.
• Analyse our client's expenditure over previous five years.
• To cross-reference, verify and consolidate all relevant financial data.
• Provide long-term Future Budget Estimate.
• Provide cost analysis for repairs & maintenance of a seven-bedroom house.
• To ensure inclusion of annual inflation calculations on future costs.

 Outcome:

• A complete and accurate financial analysis.
• A significant uplift in financial settlement achieved.

Background:

• Client: Husband
• Two children under 18.
• Busy practice owner.
• Seeking amicable divorce after 20-year marriage.
• Wife: Full-time mother.
• Four UK properties.

 Remit:

• Analyse all joint bank and credit card statements.
• Provide in-depth analysis of 12-month period of all combined expenditure.
• To cross-reference, verify and consolidate all relevant financial data.
• To complete Schedule of Annual Expenditure section of Form E.
• Create an income needs schedule for the wife.

 Outcome:

• Accurate maintenance budget figures provided for two households.
• Future Budget Estimates provided for both parties.
• Impartial input from Pennywise helped achieve a fair financial settlement for both parties.
• Settlement achieved out of court.

Background:

• Client: Husband
• A senior Partner in a prominent London law firm.
• 25 year marriage.
• Continuing to support four children over 18 (two at university)
• Wife - Working as an NHS GP and financially independent.
• UK property portfolio.
• Seeking fair & equitable division of property assets and income.

 Remit:

• To equip our client with the information required for a Clean Break settlement.
• To calculate our client’s average monthly expenditure over a 12-month period.
• To provide a separate breakdown of expenditure on children and properties for own reference.
• To complete Schedule of Annual Expenditure section of Form E.

 Outcome:

• Clean Break settlement achieved with division of assets.

Background:

• Client: Husband
• Full-time salaried employee on average income.
• Fully dependent spouse; one dependent child.
• Two UK properties (one purchased post-separation).
• Wife disputing husband's expenditure analysis.

 Remit:

• To provide Impartial Expenditure Analysis of 12-month period.
• To ascertain and validate average monthly expenditure.
• Audit post-separation expenditure claims.

  Outcome:

• Provided proof of Full Financial Disclosure.
• Satisfactory Financial Settlement reached.
• Satisfactory Child Maintenance Agreement agreed.

Background:

• Client: Wife
• Full-time housewife.
• 19-year marriage.
• Three dependent children under 18.
• Properties in UK and France.
• Denied knowledge of marital finances.

 Remit:

• To provide figures for Income Needs Schedule - Future Budget Estimate - using analysis of 18 months of past expenditure.
• To evaluate and establish a fair and realistic maintenance offer. 

 Outcome:

• Clarification of unfair and unrealistic maintenance offer.
• Case still ongoing.

Background:

• Client: Husband
• Successful international corporate lawyer.
• Wife: Full-time housewife with one dependent child.
• Property portfolio and family estate.

 Remit:

• To analyse three years’ of joint expenditure.
• To calculate the running cost of 14-bedroom family estate.
• To estimate the running cost of a five-bedroom house in London.
• To demonstrate full Financial Disclosure.

 Outcome:

• Proved accurate Financial Disclosure.
• Settlement agreement reached regarding property portfolio and family estate.
• Satisfactory Financial Settlement reached. 50/50 settlement agreed despite wife having asked for 75%.

Background:

• Client: Wife
• Former principal wage-earner turned full-time mother.
• 16-year marriage with one dependent child.
• Four properties; three in UK, one in France.
• Good understanding of financial affairs.
• High net worth husband.

 Remit:

• To evaluate possibly inaccurate or unreliable Financial Disclosure.
• To analyse multiple bank account and credit card usage in multiple currencies over a five-year period to ascertain the amount of money spent on mistress.
• To track and record all personal and corporate inter-account transfers.
• To identify and separate personal from corporate financial activity.

 Outcome:

• Identification of £1 million spent outside the marriage.
• Proof of inaccurate Financial Disclosure.
• Substantially improved Financial Settlement with an Add-Back in excess of £850,000 awarded.