In late December, Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett announced he was suing his lawyers over a prenuptial agreement gone wrong. Hackett launched Supreme Court action against the Brisbane-based lawyers, who he hired on retainer from 2006 to 2009. The Herald Sun reports that he asked them to draft a financial agreement before his wedding in 2007, and was later amended in 2009.
The statement of claim alleges that the 2007 agreement doesn’t comply with legal requirements, and the lawyers didn’t fix the problem when the agreement was amended two years later.
Need a prenuptial agreement? Chaninat and Leeds handles both Thai and International cases.
Hackett is claiming financial losses and accusing the lawyers of neglect, saying that he was never told each party was required to have independent legal advice in order for the 2009 amendments to comply with law.
The news of Hackett’s botched prenuptial is alarming to those who fear their prenuptial agreement may not hold up in court. While the purpose of prenuptial agreements is to secure a party’s financial assets prior to marriage, cases of negligence are not uncommon. There are guidelines to ensure a prenuptial agreement is airtight, but there is still a chance it may not always hold up in court.
Prenuptial agreements pursuant to Thailand law do not require separate counsel. However, when cases involve international parties or issues, Thailand prenuptial attorneys Chaninat and Leeds recommend that each party have separate counsel.
Related documents:
The Prenuptial Agreement Code of Thailand
Prenuptial Agreements: US Law, Thailand Law and EU Law Compared
International Prenuptial Agreements
Related stories:
Sailing the Seas of Marriage: Prenuptials and Divorce in Thailand
Flickr photo courtesy of Caucas’
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He needs a good lawyer like this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4LrHJCLs3Q.