When separation becomes inevitable it is important to think carefully about the choices that lay ahead and importantly how best to manage the process for both you and your family.
Divorce and separation are inherently stressful, but the process need not involve costly and lengthy litigation. At Weightmans we offer a truly broad and bespoke range of services tailored to the needs of you and your family which now includes Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer, as well as other non court options such as mediation and collaborative family law.
Please note that Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer services are only available in England and Wales, and not in Scotland.
Based on the Resolution Together concept, Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer helps make the process of separation simple, straightforward and cost-efficient.
Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer represents a significant step forward and for those seeking an amicable separation but require help understanding the law and sorting out the necessary legal formalities this could be the solution.
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The team provides an exceptional service of early, clear and realistic advice, very high attention to detail, considered and careful analysis of all realistic angles, and options to ensure that every step is taken at the appropriate time to ensure that the client's interests are best promoted and secured.
Legal 500 2026
The team offers a professional service. All of the members of the team I have dealt with have been knowledgeable and committed to getting the best result for the client.
Legal 500 2026
The care taken by the team is remarkable and reassuring for clients.
Legal 500 2026
An efficient team performing at a high level.
Legal 500 2026
A wonderful team who offer pragmatic advice whilst robustly defending the interests of their clients.
Legal 500 2026
Weightmans family law department is very dynamic. Being part of a larger firm means that they are able to draw on the expertise of other departments in the firm, which can be extremely helpful.
Legal 500 2025
Highly specialised family law team with a breadth of experience.
Legal 500 2025
The team at Weightmans is well known and respected in the family law market... They approach complex family law matters in a straightforward manner that is focused on resolution for their clients.
Legal 500 2025
The team is made up of extremely capable individuals dealing with complex and high-net-worth work. They are all technically very sound and work in a collaborative way with other lawyers.
Legal 500 2025
Weightmans have expanded hugely their family law capacity which is testament to their aspirations within this space... Experience, reputation and depth all add to the overall approach.
Legal 500 2025
The family team are totally focused on assisting clients to identify their immediate needs as well as helping them to gain clarity around the future. They take a family focused view and work on the assumption that court action should be avoided if at all possible by working collaboratively with other solicitors.
Legal 500 2025
The team provided fantastic communication and sound advice throughout the process. All possible outcomes and costs were set out at the beginning - they couldn’t have been more helpful.
Chambers 2025
The team showed total professional attention to detail and gave me inspiration to continue even when things seemed unsurmountable.
Chambers 2025
They couldn’t be more efficient and nothing is ever too much trouble for them.
Chambers 2025
Clients get what they pay for at Weightmans in that the preparation is meticulous. They are so good at looking after the client and making sure that everything is where it needs to be.
Chambers 2025
The lawyers are very experienced with knowledge encompassing a broad range of family law issues. They are adept at dealing with cross-border disputes and I would rate them as very strong in this area.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans is very up to speed in the latest legal trends and has good connections with the legal profession.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans has technically competent lawyers with a focus on solutions and the team is very pleasant to deal with, which benefits their clients.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans is efficient, experienced and professional. The team has an excellent range of experiences and ability, and they provide immediate responses.
Chambers 2025
The One Couple One Lawyer approach enables you and your former partner to instruct a single lawyer to provide advice and support to you both. Previously it was a requirement that both of you had your own legal representation. The lawyer will help guide you both towards a final outcome whether relating to the financial issues that arise following divorce, dissolution or separation or arrangements relating to your children or both.
If your joint aim is to reach an outcome together that meets your respective needs and the needs of your children then this could be an appropriate option.
It would be particularly suitable if you think that:
You must both give your informed consent to the sharing of all required information and disclosure and must agree that the lawyer who is working with you will not act for either of you individually nor represent either or both of you in court other than where it has been agreed for the purposes of filing an agreed draft order on your behalf.
One Couple One Lawyer is unlikely to be suitable in all cases. This is particularly so where there exists one or more of the following elements:
All couples seeking to use Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer will have an individual meeting with their lawyer. This meeting is confidential during which we will discuss your aims and whether this may be an appropriate option.
The meeting will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the process as well as consider alternate non court options including mediation and collaborative law that may be better suited to you and your particular circumstances.
Should you both chose to use Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer and provided it is considered suitable for the two of you by the lawyer — a retainer and agreement will then be signed that sets out the terms of work.
Thereafter the process will depend upon whether there are financial issues or children issues (or both) that need to be resolved as follows:
Most couples will need to consider what will happen to the family home as well as any other property or investments they may have including any business or partnership assets and pensions. Details of the your wealth will therefore be collated during a process of financial disclosure during which all relevant information is obtained and exchanged and valuation reports prepared as necessary before advice is then provided to help facilitate negotiations. The advice will reflect the way the law would see the resolution of the issues and the bracket of likely outcomes. Please note that the law relating to divorce financial settlements differs from that for cohabitating couples.
In cases involving arrangements for children, whether or not in conjunction with any financial issues, areas of mutual agreement will be identified and advice given in relation to any ‘sticking points’ to help facilitate negotiations. The advice will reflect the approach that would be taken by the court and the bracket of likely outcomes that addresses as necessary how the children will share or spend time with each parent (otherwise commonly referred to as contact, access, residence and custody).
Although we cannot negotiate for you, our lawyers can help you both to understand the law relevant to your particular circumstances to help you find the best solution for you and your family.
This could also involve where appropriate bringing in other professionals to support you both to deal with particular questions that may arise for example regarding pension valuations or the tax consequences of a particular arrangement.
Where an agreement is reached the terms can then be incorporated within a written document or draft order to be filed with the court as necessary.
If an agreement cannot be reached or if Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer is not appropriate we will discuss other approaches that you may wish to consider including Mediation, Collaborative Law, Arbitration and Parenting co-ordination.
We are specialists. All of our lawyers are highly experienced family lawyers in both finance and children cases with outstanding reputations for helping couples find swift resolutions to what otherwise might seem overwhelming family problems.
If you would like to find out more about Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer please arrange an appointment.
About Lottie:
Lottie has over eighteen years’ experience advising on family law. She is a Resolution accredited specialist in international family law, children law (disputes between parents or relatives) and complex financial and property matters (high-income households and substantial assets).
About Lucy:
Lucy has over 15 years' experience in family law, and specialises in obtaining financial settlements alongside divorce, pre-marital agreements and resolving disputes concerning arrangements for children.
Yes. Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer represents a significant step forward in terms of options available to couples. For those seeking an amicable separation but who require help understanding the law and sorting out the necessary legal formalities this could be the solution.
Separating Together is a process that enables two clients to instruct a single lawyer to provide advice and help guide them towards a final outcome whether relating to the financial issues that arise following divorce, dissolution or separation or arrangements relating to their children or both.
It is based on training provided by family law group Resolution and is sometimes called ‘Resolution Together’.
Although there are many similarities in its approach, the significant difference between One Couple One Lawyer and mediation is that whilst a mediator can provide information, they cannot give legal advice to the couple or help them obtain a an approved order from the court that formalises any agreement reached.
Neither is a mediator able to help the couple get other agreed processes underway such as an application for divorce if that is what is required. A lawyer working with a couple under Separating Together can do this.
Collaborative law requires the couple to each appoint their own collaboratively trained lawyer — one lawyer for each who then represents the interests of their client but with the objective of trying to find the best solution by agreement rather than through court proceedings.
The process thereafter is very similar to the Separating Together: One Couple One Lawyer model except that the couple are each paying for their own lawyers instead of sharing the costs of just one.
It is likely that collaborative law would be more suited where a higher level of support is required by one or both parties in the negotiations.
Both processes are designed to help the couple deal efficiently with the issues that require resolution upon separation, reducing the heartache as well as the stress and uncertainty of outcome that often goes hand in hand with more traditional methods. It is often the case that it not the separation itself that does so much harm to families but the way in which people separate.
At the outset there will be an individual assessment meeting with the lawyer to discuss and assess whether One Couple One Lawyer will be the right process for you. That meeting will be confidential during which you will discuss your aims and any concerns that you may have. The lawyer will discuss with you what is involved in the process and any alternative options that may be better suited to ensure you receive the most appropriate service.
For those whose joint aim is to reach an outcome together that meets their needs and the needs of any children of the family then this could be an appropriate option.
Simply contact us and we will arrange an initial confidential meeting to discuss the options available to you and whether the One Couple One Lawyer approach would be right for you.
It is unlikely that One Couple One Lawyer will be suitable where there is or has been any form of abuse in the relationship or whether either person feels under any duress to take part.
Similarly, it is unlikely to be suitable where there are safeguarding concerns, questions relating to a person’s capacity or where there is a significant power imbalance within the couples’ relationship that could not be managed appropriately.
These are matters that will be considered by the lawyer at the very outset with each of you and throughout the process should you proceed.
The One Couple One Lawyer process is based upon the couple giving their informed consent to the sharing of all required information and disclosure.
If there are any concerns about the withholding of relevant information that must be addressed. Otherwise, to continue would mean the couple working outside the arrangements set out in the Retainer and Agreement that the couple will have been required to sign at the outset.
If the matter cannot be addressed satisfactorily, then discussions will need to take place about alternative means of proceeding whether by mediation, collaborative law, arbitration, parenting co-ordination or litigation.
Yes. Once an agreement has been reached and after an appropriate cooling off period the lawyer can help you prepare either the written consent order agreement or court order formalising the arrangement that has been reached.
If you are unable to reach an agreement or it becomes clear that the One Lawyer One Couple process is no longer suitable we will discuss with each and both of you alternatives that might be of assistance in resolving what still remains in dispute. This could include mediation, collaborative law or arbitration.
Depending on what stage has been reached it may be necessary at that point for each to then seek independent legal representation.
One of the benefits of the One Couple One Lawyer process is that it’s not driven by a timetable imposed by the court. The process is entirely bespoke and can be tailored to the families’ individual timetable and priorities.
In some cases, only a couple of meetings may be needed, in others it will be more. Once an agreement is reached however and following a suitable cooling off period, the lawyer will be able to formalise the agreement and where necessary help obtain a court order.
