Why it pays for the wealthy to divorce in Singapore (and not Hong Kong)

Forum shopping is an inevitability in international divorces, albeit oft-criticized by judges. In the Far East, Singapore and Hong Kong are both significant jurisdictions with links of varying strength to the English legal system. This article analyses the approach of each court to asset division on divorce, with a particular focus on treatment of trusts. For various reasons, but crucially because Singapore has no legislative power to vary a nuptial settlement on divorce, it is recommended that Singapore, over Hong Kong, should be the jurisdiction of choice for wealthy individuals seeking to protect their assets from the divorce court.