Resolution Together: How the One Couple, One Solicitor Approach to Divorce Works

For some couples, the approach is the right one. For others, it isn’t. This guide explains what Resolution Together actually involves, how the process runs in practice, who it suits, and where its limits are.

Most people still picture divorce as a contest: two spouses, two solicitors, letters back and forth, costs rising on both sides. Resolution Together offers a different path. Developed by Resolution, the national body for family lawyers in England and Wales, it allows separating couples to jointly instruct one specially trained solicitor rather than appointing one each. The solicitor advises the couple together, impartially, intending to reach a fair agreement and avoid the cost and conflict of an adversarial process.

What is Resolution Together?

Resolution Together is a non-adversarial divorce model in which both spouses jointly instruct a single Resolution-trained solicitor who advises them impartially, rather than each spouse instructing their own solicitor. The solicitor does not represent one party against the other: they provide legal guidance to the couple as a unit, help them reach agreement on finances and arrangements for any children, and prepare the documents needed for court approval. The model was launched by Resolution in 2022 to support couples who want a constructive separation rather than a contested one.

How the Resolution Together process works

The process has a clear shape, designed to keep both parties informed, protected, and in control of the outcome.

1. Individual assessment meetings

Before any joint work begins, the solicitor meets each spouse separately. The purpose is to confirm that the model is appropriate: that both parties want to engage openly, that there is no abuse, coercion, or significant power imbalance, and that there are no conflicts that would prevent joint advice. If the solicitor identifies any concern, they will recommend a different route, such as mediation or independent representation.

2. Joint meetings and open financial disclosure

Once both spouses are confirmed as suitable, the solicitor convenes joint meetings. Both parties share full financial disclosure. The solicitor explains the law as it applies to the couple’s circumstances, identifies the range of outcomes a court would consider fair, and supports a structured discussion of finances, property, and arrangements for any children.

3. Reaching a shared agreement

The couple, with the solicitor’s guidance, agrees the terms of settlement together. Because both spouses hear the same legal advice at the same time, there is no information asymmetry and no back-and-forth between two opposing legal teams.

4. Formalising the agreement

The solicitor drafts the consent order and any related documents and submits them to the court for approval, making the agreement legally binding.

Benefits of using one solicitor

1. Reduced conflict. Working with a single neutral professional shifts the dynamic from confrontation to cooperation, which matters most when there are children involved.
2. Lower legal costs. One solicitor, no inter-solicitor correspondence, and no duplicated work mean fees are typically materially lower than a traditional two-solicitor divorce.
3. Faster resolution. Joint meetings remove the delay of negotiation by letter and the diary problem of coordinating two legal teams.
4. Better communication between spouses. The process encourages direct, respectful dialogue, which is especially important for couples who will need to co-parent after separation.
5. Greater autonomy. The couple makes its own decisions, informed by impartial legal advice, rather than handing the outcome to the court.

When Resolution Together is the right fit

The model works best when:

• Both spouses are committed to resolving matters amicably.
• There is a baseline of trust and a willingness to be transparent about finances.
• Neither party feels pressured, unsafe, or coerced.
• Both are willing to engage in open discussion and listen to the other’s perspective.
• The couple wants a dignified, constructive separation rather than a contested dispute.

When Resolution Together is not appropriate

The same model is unsuitable, and a Resolution-trained solicitor will say so at the assessment stage, where:

• There is a history of domestic abuse or coercive control.
• One party refuses, or is likely to refuse, full financial disclosure.
• There is a significant power imbalance between the spouses.
• One or both parties want their own independent legal representation throughout.
• Either party has serious mental health, substance, or capacity issues that affect their ability to engage on equal terms.

In any of these situations, each spouse needs their own solicitor. Resolution Together is not a compromise option; it is a route designed specifically for couples for whom the conditions for joint working are genuinely in place.

How Resolution Together differs from mediation, collaborative law, and a joint application

These approaches are often confused. The differences matter when choosing the right route:

• Resolution Together: one solicitor advises both spouses jointly. The solicitor provides binding legal advice as well as facilitating discussion.
• Mediation: a neutral mediator (sometimes a lawyer, sometimes not) helps the couple talk through the issues. The mediator cannot give legal advice; each spouse usually still consults a separate solicitor in the background. See family mediation for more on how mediation differs.
• Collaborative law: each spouse instructs their own collaboratively trained solicitor; both sides meet in joint sessions and commit not to litigate. Read our explainer on collaborative law as an alternative to court.
• Joint divorce application: a procedural option introduced by the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (the same act that introduced no fault divorce). It simply means both spouses jointly apply to end the marriage; it says nothing about how the financial arrangements are to be made.

Resolution Together is the only one of these in which a single legal adviser provides binding legal advice to both spouses at the same time.

Frequently asked questions about Resolution Together

Can one solicitor really act for both parties in a divorce?

Yes, where the solicitor is Resolution-trained for joint representation and both parties have been assessed as suitable. The Solicitors Regulation Authority permits this model provided the solicitor manages conflicts of interest carefully and withdraws from advising both parties if a genuine conflict arises.

Is the agreement legally binding?

Yes. The agreement reached is converted into a consent order and submitted to the court for approval, the same as in any other negotiated divorce settlement.

What happens if we can’t agree on something?

Most disagreements are worked through in further joint sessions. If a couple reaches genuine deadlock, the solicitor stops acting for both. Each spouse then takes the matter forward with separate legal advice.

Is Resolution Together the same as a joint divorce application?

No. A joint application is a way of starting the divorce itself. Resolution Together is a way of taking advice on, and resolving, the issues that follow finances, property, and arrangements for any children.

How long does the process take?

Most cases are quicker than a traditional negotiated divorce because there is no inter-solicitor correspondence. The timetable depends on the complexity of the finances and how quickly the couple reaches agreement, not on a court list.

Is Resolution Together suitable if we have complex finances or a business?

Often, yes, provided both parties are willing to disclose fully and engage in open discussion. The solicitor can bring in pension specialists, accountants, or business valuers as the case requires.

Do we have to use Resolution Together for the whole process?

No. Either spouse can step back at any stage and instruct their own solicitor. The process is built on consent, not commitment.

Speaking to a Resolution Together solicitor at Sharp Family Law

All of our family solicitors are registered with Resolution and have completed the additional training required to practise the One Couple, One Solicitor model. We work under Resolution’s Code of Practice, which commits us to constructive, child-focused, non-adversarial outcomes. To find out whether Resolution Together is right for you and your spouse, contact our team in Bath, Bristol, or Bradford-on-Avon for an initial conversation.