Wife wants savings after the divorce

Hello Wikivorce Forum!
I turned out to be in a difficult situation.
Some facts:

• My wife and I we are having a baby due in a few months
• We have been married for less than a year
• We have been together for about 2 years
• She moved out a few months ago and lives with her parents now
• I suggested the divorce and later asked her to stop communication between us (it was very hard for me as we were constantly arguing and it was impossible to agree on anything)
• Before that we were planning to buy a place to live together (I've got enough savings to buy a place outright, they all my earnings)

Things have been in the air for a few weeks (we didn't speak to each other).

And now I have received an email from her solicitors stating that I should transfer the sum of the potential place we were about to buy to our joint account. So later court can decide what to do with them and they are safe there. (They given me time limit of 7 days to do that)

This seems strange to me and I'd guess she would have no rights for these funds, and I'm not going to send anything anywhere at the moment.

Any advice on the situation and what outcome I might expect?
(I'm seeking legal advice)

Ignore the solicitors letter...there is no legal obligation to transfer them. They should stay in your account until the financial settlement is agreed.

Id guess, as they are your earnings, they are concerned that your wife wont get any share of them so are trying to coax you into handing them over so she can get a claim on them. You had a short marriage, which is in your favour, but it will come down to needs in the end so you may not get to keep the full savings.

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! That does make sense.

Bare in mind that any money your ex has could stop her qualifying for means tested benefits.

You should get the joint account closed.