Divorce Advice For Business Owners
Breakthrough Solicitors provides expert advice for individuals going through a divorce and who have one or more businesses as part of their assets.
You don’t have to navigate this alone—start with a straightforward, free initial consultation with a family law specialist to understand your rights, responsibilities, and options.
Owner of Breakthrough Solicitors
Solicitor & Mediator
Father of Two
Why should business owners choose Breakthrough Solicitors for their divorce?
Divorce can be particularly challenging for business owners, where personal decisions are closely tied to commercial interests, long-term planning, and financial stability.
Alongside the emotional strain, you may be facing concerns about protecting your company, managing cash flow, managing shareholder interests, or avoiding disruption to day-to-day operations. Navigating these issues without specialist legal guidance could place both your personal and professional future at risk.
That’s where Breakthrough Solicitors comes in. Our trusted family law solicitors have 20+ years of combined experience and take the time to fully understand your business structure, financial position, and personal priorities, providing clear, practical advice aiming to protect what you have built where possible.
Whether your case involves a privately owned company, partnership interests, shareholdings, complex income structures, or future business growth, we guide you through every stage of the divorce process with care, discretion, and strategic insight — helping you move forward with clarity and confidence.
- Transparent and Trusted: Our positive client feedback on Google demonstrates our professionalism, expertise, and responsiveness throughout the divorce process.
- Experienced Team: Our solicitors have experience advising business owners on divorce matters, supporting them from the earliest stage to help protect business interests, income streams, and long-term commercial viability where possible.
- Strategic Approach: We assess whether mediation, collaborative negotiation, or formal court proceedings are most appropriate, creating a tailored strategy that manages risk, limits disruption to your business, and supports your long-term personal and commercial objectives.
- Location: Our specialist family law solicitors serve our clients across England & Wales. Some clients work with us remotely, others can visit our offices in Bucks, Berks, Herts & Middlesex, and London. Wherever you are, let Breakthrough Solicitors provide you with the specialist advice that you need.
- Multiple languages: Concise, jargon free and pragmatic legal advice in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Cantonese.
- Remote or Face-to-Face Meetings: Whether you prefer face-to-face meetings or the convenience of remote support, we can tailor our service to suit your needs during this difficult and often stressful time.
- Extended working hours:
- Monday – Friday: 8am – 8pm
- Saturday: 9am – 6pm
- Sunday: 11am – 5pm
Speak to a family law solicitor today!
Owner of Breakthrough Solicitors
Solicitor & Mediator
Father of Two
Our process for business owner divorces
At Breakthrough Solicitors, we guide business owners through each stage of their divorce with clarity and confidence. Our structured approach helps you understand your options, minimise risk, and have the support needed to navigate both personal and commercial complexities.
Our Process:
- Initial consultation: We review your circumstances, including your business interests, personal finances, and any cross-border or corporate complexities. We explain the divorce process, outline potential financial outcomes, and discuss the documentation required, such as company accounts, shareholder or partnership agreements, and tax returns.
- Application and response: Whether you are applying for a divorce or responding to one, we guide you through the necessary steps and paperwork.
- Business valuation and financial clarity: For divorces involving business ownership, our solicitors can offer to work closely with accountants or business valuers, if required, to obtain a clear assessment of your business’s value. We then use this information to guide negotiations, structure settlements, or prepare for formal court proceedings if necessary, helping protect both your financial interests and the ongoing health of your business, where possible.
- Alternative dispute resolution: Where appropriate, we prioritise mediation, collaborative negotiation, or other NCDR methods. This approach can help resolve disputes over business interests, pensions, or income in a controlled and cost-effective manner, without unnecessarily escalating to court.
- Formal court proceedings: If a dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation or mediation, we provide practical guidance and expert representation in court, advocating for your interests while managing the commercial and financial implications of the case.
- Ongoing support: Throughout the process, our divorce solicitors for business owners offer advice on key matters such as cash flow and structuring settlements. We can also provide guidance on managing complex or international assets, helping you make informed decisions every step of the way.
By combining legal expertise with a structured, client-focused approach, Breakthrough Solicitors aims to handle divorce cases involving businesses sensitively, and with your best interests in mind.
Key issues business owners face in divorce — and how we aim to protect what you’ve built
Divorces involving business owners often bring unique challenges. While the law since 6 April 2022 has simplified the divorce process and removed the need to assign blame, disputes can still arise — especially around business ownership, financial arrangements, and complex assets.
Having a clear, well-prepared case is essential to protect both your personal interests and the health of your business.
- Documented records – Keep copies of your marriage certificate, business ownership agreements, company accounts, financial statements and correspondence about assets, and any agreements already in place. These documents provide a foundation for negotiations or court applications.
- Clear facts and chronology – Maintaining a timeline of key dates, business transactions, financial contributions, and relevant decisions helps identify critical issues and demonstrates consistency if disputes arise.
- Understanding of rights and obligations – Familiarise yourself with your legal rights and responsibilities regarding matrimonial assets, property, business interests, pensions, and children. Knowing what you may be entitled to helps set realistic expectations and strengthens your position.
- Prompt action – Seeking advice early, responding to correspondence within deadlines, and organising your business and personal finances proactively preserves evidence and protects your interests.
- Professional guidance – Expert legal advice from Breakthrough Solicitors helps you navigate complex business-owner divorces, assess your options, and develop a strategy tailored to your circumstances. This includes preparing for formal court proceedings if alternative resolution isn’t possible.
By following these steps and working with experienced solicitors, business owners can approach divorce with confidence, minimise the risk of complications, and be prepared to resolve disputes efficiently — protecting both personal and business interests.
Your rights and options in a divorce that involves one or more businesses — and how our solicitors support you
Divorcing as a business owner involves more than ending a marriage. Corporate structures, business valuations, ongoing income streams, and long-term financial security all come into play.
Understanding your rights — and the strategic options available — is essential to protecting your personal and business interests from the outset.
If you are navigating divorce as a business owner, you may need to consider:
- Protection of business and corporate interests – Whether you own a sole business, partnership, or shares in a company, it’s crucial to separate personal and business assets. Breakthrough Solicitors provides guidance to protect business continuity, minimise disruption, and attempts to ensure that settlements reflect the true value of corporate assets (including goodwill, future earnings, and directorships).
- Financial arrangements and asset division – Divorce may involve property, pensions, investments, business insterests and income. Our solicitors provide strategic advice and can collaborate with forensic accountants, if required, to help you achieve fair financial arrangements while safeguarding ongoing business operations.
- Use of pre-and post-nuptial agreements – We advise on how existing agreements could protect your business interests and non-marital assets, and how they may influence negotiations or formal proceedings.
- Children and parenting considerations – Parents retain rights and responsibilities and decision-making in respect of the children. For business owners, this may also involve considerations around flexible child arrangement schedules, international travel, and maintaining a stable lifestyle for your children.
- Alternative dispute resolution – Mediation, arbitration, and collaborative negotiation can be highly effective for business-owner divorces, helping reduce conflict, preserve business value, and achieve constructive, confidential resolutions without lengthy court proceedings.
- Legal representation in court – If formal proceedings are required, Breakthrough Solicitors provides practical guidance and representation. We help you navigate complex applications, such as financial remedy including business valuations, while explaining your rights, obligations, and realistic outcomes at every stage.
Breakthrough Solicitors provides expert guidance at every stage of the process, helping you understand your rights, explore your options, and take the most effective next steps.
Speak to a family law solicitor today!
Owner of Breakthrough Solicitors
Solicitor & Mediator
Father of Two
How business owners can start their divorce case with Breakthrough Solicitors
Navigating a divorce as a business owner can feel daunting, given the financial, corporate, and sometimes international complexities involved. Having clear guidance from the outset helps protect both your personal and business interests and ensures the process is managed efficiently.
At Breakthrough Solicitors, we provide practical advice and support to help you understand your options, assess your circumstances, and take confident, informed steps.
- Contact us – Reach out by phone, email, or via our online enquiry form to discuss your situation with an experienced family law solicitor. Breakthrough Solicitors offers an initial consultation designed to clarify the process and outline options tailored to business owners, complex finances, and family matters.
- Prepare your case and KYC/AML review –
- Please note that, before your meeting, we’ll ask you to provide relevant documents to complete mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) checks.
- We guide you on gathering relevant documents, including business ownership agreements, financial statements, business valuations, company accounts, correspondence regarding assets, pensions, and any agreements you may already have in place. Having this information ready helps us gain a clear understanding of your personal and corporate position — critical when negotiating high-value settlements or business-related arrangements.
- Case assessment and strategy – Once your information is reviewed, our divorce solicitors for business owners evaluate key issues, explain your legal rights, and outline the most suitable approach — whether that’s mediation, collaborative negotiation, or formal court proceedings.
- Take action – After agreeing on a plan, we support you throughout the process, helping you communicate with your spouse or their solicitor, negotiate arrangements, or represent you in court if required. We keep you informed at every stage, protecting your business, wealth, and family interests where possible.
Breakthrough Solicitors is committed to helping business owners navigate divorce and separation with clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.
Flexible Support That Fits Around You
✓ Remote or Face-to-Face Meetings
We offer meetings remotely via video call, or in person at our offices in Amersham, Beaconsfield, Berkhamsted, Chesham, Chorleywood, Gerrards Cross, Harrow, High Wycombe, Mayfair, Milton Keynes, Rickmansworth or The Chalfonts — whichever suits you best.
✓ Advice In Multiple Languages
Support available in English, Cantonese, Hindi, and Gujarati.
✓ Extended Working Hours
Speak to us 7 days a week, including evenings and weekends.
Speak to a family law solicitor today!
Owner of Breakthrough Solicitors
Solicitor & Mediator
Father of Two
Frequently Asked Questions About Divorces For Business Owners
How does a divorce involving one or more businesses differ from a traditional divorce?
A divorce involving a business is more complex than a standard divorce because it must account for the valuation, ownership, and division of one or more companies, alongside personal assets, property, and pensions.
In England and Wales, such a divorce formally dissolves the marriage, allowing both parties to move forward independently.
At the same time, it carefully addresses business interests, property, investments, pensions and other assets to achieve a fair and structured settlement, while protecting ongoing business operations and financial continuity.
What law governs divorce involving businesses in the UK?
Divorce in England and Wales is governed primarily by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, as amended by more recent legislation, including the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, which came into force on 6 April 2022.
How do I apply for a divorce?
To start divorce proceedings, a divorce application must be sent to the court. From April 2022, you are now able to make a joint application with your spouse or a sole application.
You will need your original marriage certificate or a certified copy. The application must be correctly completed and you would be required to make a ‘statement of irretrievable breakdown’ to confirm that the relationship has come to an end.
How long does a divorce involving businesses take in England and Wales?
Divorces for business owners usually take longer than standard divorces. The formal legal process takes a minimum of 26 weeks, but financial settlements involving businesses often extend this timeline significantly.
If you or your spouse own companies, hold significant pension schemes, or have assets abroad, additional time is typically needed for valuations, potential expert reports, negotiations, and structuring settlements. Careful planning is essential to try and protect both personal and business interests, and to achieve a fair and sustainable outcome.
Is my spouse entitled to part of my business in a divorce?
Businesses owned by one or both spouses are usually included among the assets to be considered and divided.
As part of the divorce proceedings, the business may have to be valued before financial settlement negotiations can get underway.
How will my business be dealt with during a divorce?
The way a business is dealt with will depend on the nature of the business in question. Some important considerations will be:
- Whether both parties are involved in running the business
- The way the business is run – as a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company
- Whether one or both of the spouses hold all the shares in the business or only a percentage
- Any property or assets owned by the business
- The status of other shareholders in the business – whether they are other family members or others with competing interests outside of the family
- Whether capital sums can be extracted from the business or borrowed against it
Should I seek legal advice to protect my business during a divorce?
It’s important to obtain specialist legal advice as early as possible to best protect your position. It is not unusual for business owners going through a divorce to panic and make changes to their business, believing this will help them protect it once divorce proceedings begin.
In fact, doing this can seriously damage your position, particularly if these changes are designed to obstruct financial settlement negotiations. However, there may be legitimate steps that could be taken to reduce the risk of you losing part of your business in the course of divorce proceedings.
How does the court deal with divorce settlements where one spouse is a business owner?
Where possible, the court will usually look to leave the spouse who owns the business in charge and offset this by giving the other spouse a larger share of the other assets.
It may also ask the business-owning spouse to pay maintenance payments if necessary. Valuing a business can be tricky – unless the plan is to sell the business, any valuation will be an estimation.
The court often takes a flexible approach, sharing capital, shares or income where possible so that one party does not end up with all the cash assets and the other with assets tied up in the business.
How do courts value a business in divorce?
Courts usually rely on independent, evidence‑based valuations prepared by accountants or business valuers. These experts use one or more recognised methods — typically earnings‑based, asset‑based, or market comparators — and then the court treats the resulting figure as the matrimonial value of the business interest when deciding how assets should be divided.
- Earnings based methods: Values the business by capitalising past or projected profits to estimate the value of future earnings.
- Asset based methods: Values the business by totalling its net assets (assets minus liabilities).
- Market comparators: Uses sale prices of similar businesses or market multiples to estimate value.
How does the free initial consultation work?
Breakthrough Solicitors offers a free initial consultation to discuss your family law needs.
The free initial consultation lasts up to 30 mins and is completely free.
It allows you to speak with an expert family lawyer, learn about your options, and ask any questions you may have.
What is the fixed fee meeting?
Breakthrough Solicitors can offer a fixed fee meeting of up to one-hour.
The fixed fee meeting is the second step of our process (following the free initial consultation).
It involves one of our highly experienced solicitors advising you on the law, your available options and proposing a potential legal strategy.
It costs £295 (incl VAT) and is an affordable way of getting legal advice and a first set of answers.
Please note that, before your meeting, we’ll ask you to provide relevant documents to complete mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) checks.
What happens after the fixed fee meeting?
The fixed fee meeting is the second stage in the process (after the free initial consultation).
If you’d like Breakthrough Solicitors to represent you after the fixed fee meeting, the process will be as follows:
- You will need to sign the client care letter to formally instruct us
- You’ll need to put a deposit on the account (usually £500 but this depends on how much work is required on the case)
- Once the deposit is received, Breakthrough Solicitors will begin working on your case
Note that each situation is different (going to court is more expensive than just negotiating) and this will be outlined in the client care letter.