Can Separating Couples Use One Lawyer? Understanding the Resolution Together Model

For many couples who choose a calm, collaborative, and holistic approach to separation, the journey often begins long before any professional is involved.

Some reach their own agreements around the kitchen table. Others work things out through mediation. Some use coaching or structured conversations to help them communicate more clearly.

Whatever the starting point, more and more couples now ask the same question:

“We’ve reached our agreement - can we use one lawyer to finalise everything?”

Until recently, the answer in England & Wales would have been a firm “no.” But the landscape has changed.

Thanks to Resolution Together, a growing number of specially trained family lawyers can now work with both partners jointly offering legal advice to you together and helping you finalise your arrangements in a supportive, transparent, and non‑adversarial way.

This shift is transforming how couples navigate separation when there is a degree of trust and faith in one another to play fair.

What Is Resolution Together?

Resolution Together is a specialist model developed by Resolution, the leading organisation for family justice professionals in England & Wales. It allows one trained solicitor to work with both partners jointly, providing:

• Legal advice to both of you together

• Guidance on your financial and/or child arrangements

• Drafting of your consent order or other legal documents

• A safe, structured, and balanced process

It’s designed for couples who want to stay amicable, avoid unnecessary conflict, and keep the process as simple and cost‑effective as possible.

Couples can use Resolution Together if they have:

• Reached their own agreement directly

• Used mediation

• Used coaching or therapeutic support

• Had constructive discussions with or without professional help

The key requirement is that both partners want a joint, transparent, and cooperative legal process.

How Does Resolution Together Work?

The process is carefully structured to ensure fairness, safety, and clarity.

1. Individual Screening Meetings

Each partner meets the lawyer separately first. This ensures:

• No coercion or imbalance of power

• No safeguarding concerns

• The situation is suitable for joint work

• No legal conflicts of interest

If the lawyer identifies concerns, they will signpost you to alternative routes and options on how to move forward.

2. Joint Meetings With the Lawyer

If suitable, you then meet the lawyer together. They will:

• Provide legal advice to both of you

• Help you understand your options

• Support you in making informed decisions

• Ensure your agreement is legally sound

3. Drafting and Finalising Your Legal Documents

The lawyer can then:

• Draft your financial consent order

• Prepare supporting documents

• Submit everything to the court

This keeps the process streamlined and avoids the need for two separate solicitors.

How This Differs From Traditional Mediation + Separate Lawyers

Traditionally:

• Mediation helps you reach an agreement

• Each partner then takes independent legal advice

• One solicitor drafts the consent order

• The other may review it

This remains a key route forward and is often necessary.

But Resolution Together offers an alternative for couples who want:

• One point of contact

• Joint legal advice

• A unified, collaborative experience

• Reduced cost and duplication

• A process aligned with the spirit of their direct discussions or mediation

It bridges the gap between agreement‑making and legal finalisation in a way that feels natural, respectful, and efficient.

Is Resolution Together Suitable for Everyone?

It works beautifully for couples who:

• Are amicable and able to communicate openly

• Have reached (or can reach) agreement through mediation or direct discussion

• Want to avoid adversarial processes

• Prefer a single, joined‑up legal pathway

• Are committed to transparency

It may not be suitable where:

• There is domestic abuse or coercive control

• One partner feels unsafe or unheard

• There are complex legal conflicts

• One person wants strategic legal advice “against” the other

The screening process ensures suitability before any joint work begins.

Why This Matters for Holistic, Conscious Separation

From a holistic perspective, Resolution Together aligns beautifully with the values you champion:

• Reducing conflict

• Honouring emotional wellbeing

• Supporting clarity and fairness

• Keeping children at the centre

• Empowering couples to co‑create their future

It allows couples to complete the legal stage of their separation with the same calm, collaborative energy they brought to their own discussions or mediation.

How I Support Couples at This Stage

As an accredited family mediator, my role is to:

• Help you reach a clear, workable agreement (if you choose mediation)

• Provide a written summary of your decisions (if requested at additional cost)

• Signpost you to Resolution Together lawyers where appropriate

• Ensure you feel informed, supported, and empowered

I remain neutral throughout, but I make sure you have access to the right professionals to complete the process smoothly and ethically.

Final Thoughts: A New Era of Collaborative Separation

The introduction of Resolution Together marks a significant and positive shift in family law in England & Wales. Couples now have more choice, more flexibility, and more supportive pathways than ever before.

Whether you’ve reached your agreement through mediation, through direct conversation, or through another constructive route, the Resolution Together model may be the next step for you.

It keeps the process:

• Calm

• Transparent

• Cost‑effective

• Legally robust

• Emotionally grounded

And most importantly, it honours the spirit in which your agreement was reached.

Need Support?

If you’d like to learn more about the support available as you navigate separation or divorce, you can explore our dedicated mediation and coaching pages.