You wait ages for one glossy family law drama, then two come at once. Having binge-watched all six episodes of BBC’s The Split Up, Obiter has now moved on to Sky’s new drama, War, starring Sienna Miller and Dominic West.

War features a high-profile divorce between Hollywood actress Carla Duval and tech titan Morgan Henderson – and a cutthroat battle between their respective law firms, Taylor & Byrne and Cathcarts.

The tagline ‘Take sides. Take everything’ prompted concerns among real family lawyers that the show would play fast and loose with the legal reality of divorce.

Charles Russell Speechlys’ Sarah Jane Boon said a heavy focus on the husband’s adultery risks misleading viewers on the true legal position.

‘Whether or not Morgan committed adultery (and if and how Carla obtained evidence of this) would not be of any relevance to a divorce under the current no-fault divorce law in England,’ she said. ‘The implication that evidence of Morgan’s adultery could assist Carla in undermining their pre-nuptial agreement is even more problematic, as that does not align with the law in England (regardless of whether a pre-nuptial agreement is in place).’

Kingsley Napley’s Abby Buckland and Kirsty Churm were correct to predict they would be tut-tutting and eye-rolling. But they also found the first episode entertaining. ‘War is glossy and fun. Just don’t treat it as a how-to guide: honey traps, moles and red-carpet ambushes make for a destructive, and expensive, legal strategy,’ they mused.

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