Resolution Together

For some separating couples – including entrepreneurs, professionals, and individuals with significant assets – the traditional adversarial divorce model may feel unnecessarily combative.

That adversarial model can exacerbate tensions and compound ill-feeling between the divorcing couple. It will inevitably result in duplicated legal bills where each party has their own legal team. In many cases the traditional adversarial model is fundamentally ill-suited to those couples who are committed to maintaining a respectful relationship.

We offer Resolution Together, a forward-thinking, one-lawyer-two-clients approach that enables the separating couple to work together with a single solicitor to reach a fair, informed, and constructive agreement. This model is particularly well-suited to affluent couples who value their own agency in deciding their future, who are committed to efficiency, a dignified process and who want to avoid the negatives that may flow from entrenched disputes.

What is Resolution Together?

Resolution Together is a process developed by Resolution, the UK’s leading organisation of family lawyers. It establishes a legal framework for one lawyer to work with both clients jointly, providing legal advice and guidance to help them reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

Resolution Together is distinguished from other well-known family law processes like collaborative law and mediation because this process enables the parties to receive legal advice together – from a single, neutral solicitor – who facilitates their discussion to reach a mutually acceptable settlement.

Delivered by us, Resolution Together offers separating couples the benefit of our expertise in high net worth and complex cases – within a process grounded in transparency, trust and a shared commitment to resolving matters respectfully.

Why it works for high net worth couples

High net worth divorces typically involve complex structures — whether business interests, trusts, international assets, direct and/or bespoke investments, leverage and/or illiquid assets. These features require not only careful evaluation but also a collaborative, strategic approach to generate a fair outcome whilst protecting wealth and preserving relationships.

Resolution Together offers several advantages for clients in this category:

• Efficiency: With one lawyer guiding both parties, decisions can be made at the pace preferred by the parties, potentially reducing the time and legal cost associated with the traditional adversarial process or indeed litigation.
• Agency and accountability: The parties are fully involved in every stage of the process. They retain their agency and remain accountable to each other, rather than standing behind their respective lawyers.
• Preservation of relationships: Particularly important where co-parenting or shared business interests are involved, the process supports cooperation and avoids unnecessarily escalating tensions.
• Tailored expertise: Specialising in complex and high net worth cases, we bring a deep understanding of complex financial arrangements and can coordinate with a couple’s existing advisors or introduce respected impartial financial experts to support pragmatic, tax-efficient solutions.
• Flexibility of approach: every couple is unique. The range, scope and nature of the issues to be decided by a particular couple will be different in every case. Resolution Together provides a personalised neutral forum to work together to address every area that needs to be resolved. This could mean that the process focuses exclusively on financial or children matters or starts with one and moves to addressing both.

How we support settlement through the Resolution Together process

The process begins with individual meetings with each party to assess whether Resolution Together is appropriate for this couple. We seek to understand the dynamics of the relationship, ensure there is no history of coercive control or abuse and confirm that both parties are willing to engage in good faith and share financial information transparently. If the process is suitable and both parties are keen to engage, they sign a participation agreement confirming their commitment to work together in the Resolution Together process.

We then meet with both clients together to further explore what issues may need to be resolved. These may include establishing the fair value of the assets, as necessary including business valuations, exploring options around pension sharing and identifying tax issues. Once the assets and liabilities are known, the discussion can switch to meeting financial needs fairly and addressing sharing or resources. Sometimes, consideration also needs to be given to child arrangements and parenting plans. Throughout, we provide neutral legal advice to both parties, helping them understand their rights and responsibilities under the law. Our role is not to advocate for one side, but to assist both clients towards a fair and legally sound outcome.

High net worth divorces often require input from other professionals. We work closely with trusted experts, including accountants and business valuers, tax advisors and financial planners, pension actuaries, family therapists, psychologists, divorce coaches and children specialists. These professionals can be brought into the process as needed, ensuring that all decisions are informed and fair.

Once agreement is reached, we record and framework the parties’ agreement. Where appropriate, we can draft the necessary financial consent order and supporting documentation for consideration by the court. Once approved by the court, the consent order will become a legally binding document regulating the parties’ obligations going forwards. We can also assist with ancillary documents as may be required, for example, property transfers, declarations of trust or company restructuring documents.

Is Resolution Together suitable for every couple?

Whilst Resolution Together is a powerful tool, it’s not necessarily appropriate for every couple. We do not offer this process where there appears to be a history of domestic abuse, where one party is unwilling to engage transparently or respectfully, where there are significant mental health or capacity concerns, or where there are unmanageable conflicts of interest.

In such cases, we guide the couple towards dispute resolution methods that we feel are better suited to that couple’s requirements.

Conclusion: A smarter way to separate

Resolution Together reflects a modern, intelligent approach to divorce – empowering clients to retain agency to reach fair outcomes humanely and respectfully.

If you and your partner are considering divorce and believe you can work together constructively, we invite you to explore whether Resolution Together could be the right path for you.