Leading regional law firm Furley Page reports an increase in the number of enquiries to its family law team in the last few months.

Anne Blenkinsop, partner in the family law team, comments: "Despite media speculation that couples are tending to stay together during the tough economic period, our experience proves otherwise".

"With the popularity of marriage at an all time low, it’s not really surprising that added money worries are going to make it any easier for them to overcome difficulties in their relationship."

Anne, 45, who is a trustee for East Kent Relate and a member of East Kent Collaborative Law (a group of family law solicitors who offer a ‘collaborative’ process to their clients) concedes that husbands looking for a way out of an unhappy marriage might take the opportunity during a recession when the value of their assets and their income capacity were more modest.

And she has this advice for wives needing to negotiate a financial settlement. "Resist the temptation to agree to a capital sum in lieu of ongoing maintenance. A capital sum based on a husband’s earning capacity won’t be increased in better financial times whereas maintenance, even if set at a fairly meagre level, can be."

For further information on family law issues contact Anne Blenkinsop on 01227 763939.