LAWYER: £101 MILLION LOTTERY WIN WILL LEAD TO CLAIMS AVALANCHE FROM ESTRANGED PARTNERS AND RELATIVES.

GEORGE DAVIES SOLICITORS LLP

PRESS RELEASE

October 14, 2011.

LAWYER: £101 MILLION LOTTERY WIN WILL LEAD TO CLAIMS AVALANCHE FROM ESTRANGED PARTNERS AND RELATIVES.

A leading divorce lawyer is predicting an avalanche of relationship-testing share-of-winnings claims by estranged partners and relatives of £101 million lottery winners Dave and Angela Dawes.

Robin Charrot of George Davies Solicitors, who handles high-value divorces for celebrities and sportspeople, says the size of the win is certainly enough to make it worth a fight in the courts.

“The bigger the windfall, the further the claim ripples will spread. For the friends and family members who were already divorced or separated, this sudden windfall potentially creates some interesting legal issues: If the winning couple pay the money to one of them, does the other have a claim over it?” said Robin.

“The answer is uncertain, but there would certainly be enough money to make it worth a fight in the courts to find out – but there’s also the potential for out-of-court settlements or handouts to marginal claimants simply to make them go away.

“After all, the interest on such a sum could be anything between £100,000 and £1 million a week depending upon how and where it is invested.

“Money always brings out the worst in people, and I’m not surprised that everyone is coming out of the woodwork.

“A sudden influx of a lot of money - for the winning couple and anyone they make millionaires - can create relationship strains in itself, for example, they may give up work, and find they are spending too much time together, with no outside distractions, apart from constant begging from other family and friends.

“I would urge they pay a great deal of attention to the official lottery-appointed advisers, and while they undoubtedly have some great adventures ahead of them, there are going to be some very tough decisions to make when it comes to allocating money to people in their circle – after all, where do they draw the line?”

Ends

For further information:

Lindsey Farrelly

LindseyFarrelly@georgedavies.co.uk

0161 234 8802

07717 177609

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Notes to editor:

About George Davies Solicitors LLP: George Davies Solicitors LLP is a 19 partner law firm based in the heart of Manchester city centre. Established over 70 years ago it provides an extensive range of legal services to a national client base. Recent awards and accreditations include; ratings in independent legal directories - Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners UK; Winner of the Medium Law Firm of the Year 2011 in the Manchester Legal Awards; North West Employment Team of the Year in the Corporate INTL Magazine Awards 2010; adviser on the Deal of the Year sub £5million at the 2010 Insider Dealmakers Awards and is one of only five legal firms in the country to hold the Investors in People Silver standard.