Collaborative Law Solicitors based in Chester, Sale and Manchester

Collaborative family law is a way of resolving family and relationship breakdown without going to court. You and your former partner each instruct your own specially trained collaborative solicitor, then work through finances, property and child arrangements together in face-to-face meetings until you reach an agreement you’re both happy with.

Collaborative law is not limited to divorce. It also applies to civil partnership dissolution and separating unmarried couples, and it’s increasingly used to agree prenuptial and cohabitation agreements before a wedding or moving in together, using the same four-way approach throughout.

Collaborative law solicitors are usually charged at an hourly rate, in the same way as most family law work. Overall cost depends on how many meetings you need and how complex your finances are, but resolving things collaboratively often works out more cost-effective than a lengthy court dispute. We’ll discuss costs with you from your first meeting.

There’s no fixed timescale for collaborative law, because the process moves at the pace you and your former partner set rather than a court timetable. Straightforward cases with full cooperation can be resolved in a small number of meetings, while complex finances or contested children arrangements will naturally take longer.

Collaborative law and mediation are different processes. In mediation, one independent, neutral mediator meets with both people together, without either of you having your own solicitor in the room. In collaborative law, you and your former partner each have your own collaborative lawyer with you throughout, giving you legal advice in real time as you negotiate.

Collaborative law gives you more control and privacy than court proceedings, since a judge never decides the outcome and everything is agreed between you rather than imposed. It suits couples willing to negotiate honestly and disclose their finances in full; where trust has broken down completely, court may be the more realistic option.

Yes. Collaborative law can deal with children arrangements, such as where they live and how time is split, in the same four-way meetings as your finances, or separately if you’d prefer. Every discussion is guided by what’s best for your children, just as the family courts must treat a child’s welfare as paramount.

If collaborative law breaks down and either of you needs to go to court, both solicitors must withdraw from the case under the participation agreement you signed at the outset. You’d each need to instruct a new solicitor for court proceedings, which is why both sides stay genuinely motivated to reach an agreement.

Yes, collaborative law only works if both people are willing to take part. Unlike instructing your own solicitor to negotiate on your behalf, it depends on your former partner also choosing their own collaborative lawyer and agreeing to the four-way meeting process. If they’re not willing, we can still represent you through standard solicitor negotiation instead.

Collaborative law relies on both people negotiating openly and without fear, so it isn’t usually suitable where there’s been domestic abuse or a significant imbalance of power. We’ll discuss your situation sensitively at your first meeting and recommend the right approach for you, which may mean seeking court protection instead.

Yes, our collaborative law solicitors work from offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester, so you can meet face to face wherever suits you best. Four-way meetings can be arranged at whichever office works for both you and your former partner, and we also support clients nationwide.