Resolution Together is a brand-new WSP Solicitors initiative designed to make the process of separation more manageable and less stressful for couples.
A single, specially trained solicitor guides couples through everything from divorce to sorting out finances and children’s arrangements. Encouraging couples to work together, the focus is on collaboration.
Two of WSP's experienced solicitors have undergone extensive Resolution training to offer the new service. SoGlos chats to them both to understand more about meeting the changing needs of modern life.
Meet the experts — Beth Evans, head of family law
Beth Evans has more than 20 years’ experience in family law. With wide ranging expertise, she works with clients to address family related issues from cohabitation and pre-nuptial agreements, to divorce and dissolution proceedings.
Solicitor Louise Kelly
Louise Kelly has specialised in all aspects of family law for more than 10 years and is passionate about helping her clients. She is keen to offer support to clients during very difficult times and prides herself on being compassionate, understanding, and sympathetic.
Resolution
Together is a new service from WSP, can you give an overview of how it
works?
Resolution Together is a new initiative which enables separating couples to obtain advice from, and work with an experienced and specifically trained single solicitor to resolve matters including divorce, a financial settlement and arrangements for their children.
The couple can also choose to have direct access to expert support and advice (for example from financial advisors, pension experts, neutral evaluators, counsellors) as and when they need it to assist them in resolving matters.
On expressing an interest, the couple will have an initial video or in person meeting with a Resolution Together trained solicitor to discuss their situation, what they wish to achieve, the Resolution Together approach and also the other options to resolve matters arising from the separation.
If the couple decide they would like to work with a single solicitor to resolve matters, they will each then have a separate face-to-face meeting with the solicitor to discuss their objectives and to ensure the Resolution Together approach is suitable for them.
Provided that is the case, the couple and the solicitor sign an agreement committing to the approach and the next steps are agreed which may well include collating financial and other relevant information to enable settlement discussions to take place. The couple will jointly meet with the solicitor to work on resolving matters, with other advisors being consulted as appropriate for example financial advisors, pension experts, mediators or counsellors.
Options will be explored to resolve sticking points which might include the couple taking separate legal advice in relation to a specific issue, a referral to an early neutral evaluator, mediator, arbitrator or arranging a private dispute resolution hearing.
The aim is for the couple to work with the solicitor and any other agreed experts to reach an agreement regarding their divorce, financial settlement and/or future arrangements for their children, which the solicitor will then assist them to formalise/document as appropriate.
Resolution Together is not suitable for all and requires the professionals involved to work within required regulation including the rules in respect of conflict of interest and client confidentiality and the solicitor must carefully carry out an assessment of a couple’s suitability for this approach.
It is essential couples can resolve matters arising from their separation in a safe environment. Resolution Together would not be suitable where there are significant power imbalances, a reluctance to freely share information or where there are safeguarding issues relating to the children or adults.
What are the most significant benefits of this new service?
The Resolution Together approach offers clients a flexible and less positional approach to managing separation and focuses on the couple working together to reach a fair and positive resolution together that works for the couple and their children.
Information is freely shared throughout the process encouraging trust and confidence and removing the feeling of confrontation and conflict.
The approach offers separating couples flexibility, privacy and certainty and is usually less expensive overall than using the traditional route where each party instructs their own solicitor.
Why did you decide to introduce this service?
We are always looking for different and innovative ways to work with our clients to make their lives less complicated.
The solicitors in our Family Law Team have been committed members of Resolution, a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way, for many years.
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 modernised divorce allowing couples to jointly apply for a no fault divorce to end their marriage together.
The aim was to reduce conflict and encourage couples to work together to agree a way forward, which meets both their needs and those of their children.
It was a logical next step to see how this approach could be extended to help couples jointly with other issues arising on separation including their finances and arrangements for their children.
Resolution was instrumental in designing a together service which both meets the regulatory requirements and the needs of separating couples.
Two of our experienced solicitors have undergone extensive Resolution training to enable us to offer this service which we believe will be a positive way of working, both for our solicitors, and to meet the changing needs of many of our clients.
Have you had any client feedback yet? If so, what kind of comments are being made?
Over the last couple of years in particular we have had an increase in enquiries from separating couples seeking advice together to assist them to work through and resolve financial matters arising from their separation and the future arrangements for their children.
We are confident there will be a real appetite from potential clients for the Resolution Together service and that those using the service will find their lives less complicated.
What kind of challenges does a more traditional divorce proceeding often encounter?
Although many solicitors work with families in a constructive way, the traditional approach where each party instructs an individual solicitor, can sometimes lead to the couple having a more positional stance, concerns about transparency and can result in delays and increased costs.
There are many options for separating couples looking to resolve matters and what is key is ensuring clients have access to the right information to make an informed decision about what the best approach is for them.
What does it mean to WSP to now be able to offer this service?
WSP is really excited to offer Resolution Together as a positive way of working with separating couples to resolve matters, and alongside our other services which include mediation for separating couples and representing an individual client.
To find out more about the servicie visit: wspsolicitors.com/legal-services/for-you/divorce-dissolution/one-couple-one-solicitor-divorce.
