London – Divorce Capital of the World

Last month Natalia Potanina, the ex-wife of a Russian billionaire, won a case in London giving her the right to pursue her financial divorce claim here, despite the separation and divorce being formalised in Russia more than a decade ago.

Vladimir Potanin was a former First Deputy Prime Minister and twice-ranked the country’s richest person with a $20 billion fortune.

This case opens the door to divorce floodgates rather than just divorce tourism. The English system is financially attractive to the weaker party, when it comes to splitting wealth and assets equally, even if one party was the main breadwinner.

The discrepancy with other jurisdictions can results in a ‘race’ to file financial papers in the best jurisdiction for that client, usually the wife. Even if they have brought a case abroad already where there might not be full disclosure of assets, they could have a second bite of the cherry in London.

The Claimant has to show sufficient links to the UK and that the overseas’ Court case was unfair. In most cases, there is no bias in favour of the money-earner as against the homemaker and child-carer.

That is the position but still many older men in England find it hard to stomach, but it is indeed the law. What English lawyers often do not highlight is that getting a spectacularly large English divorce settlement is great, but often it can just be an expensive piece of paper, costing tens of thousands in legal fees to achieve, but then not enabling the client to collect.

Assets can be tied up in Trusts, companies, overseas and each step to collect costs more and more.

October 2025
Rodney Hylton-Potts