Traditionally, separation meant hiring two separate solicitors who would fight for individual interests, often resulting in increased hostility and costs. Resolution Together changes that.
Now, you can share a single, impartial legal expert. We will guide both of you through the legal process together, helping you reach a fair agreement in an amicable way. It’s the smart choice for couples who want to separate with dignity, protect their children from conflict, and keep their hard-earned assets for their future, not for legal fees.
Resolution Together enables you to consult one lawyer jointly. We provide the advice necessary for you to make a consensual decision about your separation, ensuring the process remains constructive and focused on a solution.
For safety reasons, this method is NOT appropriate where there is or has been:
In these instances, separate legal representation is necessary to ensure you are fully protected and supported.
Beyond the submitted paperwork, the overarching goal is to achieve a resolution that preserves your dignity and family relationships. By submitting a pre-agreed resolution to the court, you bypass the unpredictability, aggression, and delays of traditional litigation. You walk away with a solution that you crafted together, rather than a judgment imposed on you by a stranger with a view to ensuring that outcome is fair to everyone involved.
CONSENT ORDER: A Binding Financial Solution
The primary objective of Resolution Together is to secure a legally binding Consent Order without you ever having to set foot in a courtroom. Once you and your partner reach a fair agreement on how to divide your assets, whether that involves property, pensions, savings, trusts or a business, your shared lawyer will translate that understanding into a technical legal document. This paperwork is then submitted directly to the court for a judge’s approval. As the agreement is mutual and professionally drafted, the judge would then review the order and can seal it on paper making it fully enforceable and protecting both of you from future financial claims.
DIVORCE: The Legal Conclusion
Alongside the financial settlement, the process aims to smoothly finalise the legal ending of your marriage or civil partnership. Your lawyer will guide you through the necessary steps to obtain your Final Order of Divorce (formerly known as the Decree Absolute).
By the time the process concludes, the goal is for you to have a complete legal separation: a sealed court order defining your financial independence and the formal dissolution of the marriage. Having both of these gives you the certainty you need to move forward.
The Core Principles
Your Commitments
The "Red Lines"
During The Process
Likely to last 1-2 hours and charged at the solicitors’ hourly rate. The purpose of this meeting is to explain the process, likely costs, timescales, safeguarding, support networks, capacity, willingness to negotiate, financial disclosure and to review the Retainer letter. The divorce process can also be discussed. You would both sign the Retainer letter during (or shortly after) this meeting).
In this meeting, you and your solicitor would sign the Agreement. Discussions begin about what financial disclosure is required and what additional advice might be necessary (such as property valuations, a Pension Expert, tax advice etc). Discussions about child arrangements can also be had if required.
You both obtain your financial disclosure.
The solicitor reviews the financial disclosure and requests any further information and documentation. A financial summary is prepared by the solicitor with a view to you both agreeing the contents of the matrimonial pot.
Obtain any additional expert advice as required such as a pension report, tax advice, a survey, business valuations, a financial advisor etc.
Once all financial information has been obtained and disclosed, the solicitor will set out potential options for a fair settlement in accordance with the law and consider the needs and wishes of you both and any children. The advice will be in writing and then joint meetings will take place to discuss the options. You will be able to have negotiations about the settlement options in the joint meeting(s) that follow with a view to reaching an agreement in these meetings. The number of joint meetings will vary depending on the specific requirements of the matter.
Once an agreement has been reached, there will be a 14-day cooling off period where you can both take the time to consider being bound by the agreement. If either of you wish to take independent legal advice then you can do so. If you both wish to proceed after 14 days, the solicitor would draft the Consent Order and assist with the preparation of the financial summary form in readiness for sending to the Court. The Conditional Order of Divorce is needed before any documents relating to a financial agreement are sent to the Court.
A Tailored Approach to Costs
We recognise that no two families are the same. We tailor the Resolution Together process specifically to your unique needs and the complexity of your assets. As this is a bespoke approach, the service is not offered on a fixed-fee basis. Costs are estimated based on the time and expertise required to resolve your specific circumstances.
This is the most common question!
- Mediators are neutral facilitators, but they cannot give you legal advice. They can't tell you "The law says you are entitled to X."
- Resolution Together lawyers can give legal advice. We can say, "Based on the law, a court would likely award 50-60% of this pension." This gives you the confidence to make a deal knowing you aren't "losing out" legally.
We are not "on a side" we are on the side of the solution.
In a traditional divorce, a lawyer fights for your individual "win." In Resolution Together, our job is to fight for a fair agreement that works for your whole family. We provide the same legal information to both of you simultaneously, ensuring neither person is "in the dark" or at a disadvantage.
Conflict is normal. However, if a conflict becomes unmanageable or you simply cannot reach an agreement, we will stop the process.
- Important: If this happens, your Resolution Together lawyer cannot represent either of you going forward. You would both need to find new, separate solicitors. This "strict boundary" ensures we are 100% committed to making this process work for you.
Generally, no. Transparency is the golden rule of Resolution Together. We will not keep secrets for either of you. If you send us an email, we will copy your partner in. This builds trust—you never have to worry about what is being said behind your back.
Absolutely. At any point, if you feel unsure about the advice or the direction of the settlement, you are free (and sometimes encouraged) to take "independent legal advice" from a separate solicitor to check the proposed deal.
Yes. Once we reach a solution you are both happy with, we will draft the official Consent Order and submit it to the Court. Once approved by a judge, it is as legally binding as if you had fought for years in court.
Usually, yes. The "Joint Meetings" are designed to be held together so you both hear the same advice at the same time. However, we can host these online via video call if that is more convenient or comfortable for your situation.
Tel: 01285 650 000
Fax: 01285 649 898
DX: 39400 Cirencester
Email: info@sml-law.co.uk
