Deborah Bangay KC

Spear’s Review

Deborah Bangay KC of 1 Hare Court was called to the bar in 1981 and took silk in 2006. Over her career she has built a reputation as a leading voice in financial remedy matters, including contentious prenuptial agreements.

Often, she is instructed in cases where one party seeks to overturn a marital agreement due to issues of improper disclosure, coercive control or the major increase of assets during a relationship. ‘The whole idea of a prenup is to stop litigation at the end of a marriage,’ she tells Spear’s. ‘The problem with prenups is that quite often they are unfair and don’t deal with the parties’ needs.’

Notable cases include FB v PS [2015] EWHC 2979, which centred around the division of a marital home where unequal contributions were made to its purchase, and US v SR [2014] EWHC 175, which addressed issues of litigation misconduct and non-disclosure.

Her advice to HNWs entering into a marital agreement is simple: honesty. ‘Whether you have a prenup, postnup, separation agreement or consent order, you have got to give full and frank disclosure.’