Will I Have To Sell My Business If I Get Divorced?

Last reviewed: 6th November 2026

Celebrating Our Chambers and Partners 2027 Ranking

We are thrilled to share that Purcell Solicitors has once again been ranked in Band 2 for Family/Matrimonial in the Thames Valley in the Chambers UK 2027 guide.

Receiving this recognition means a great deal to us. The Thames Valley table covers Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire, making it a large and highly competitive region.

We are also delighted to see members of our team recognised individually. Pauline Purcell retains her Band 1 ranking for Family/Matrimonial. Mandi Austin is ranked in Band 2, while Lisa Buckridge is ranked in Band 3. Lisa also gained a Band 1 ranking for Mediation.

These individual results reflect the experience and dedication that Pauline, Mandi, and Lisa bring to their work. Our overall ranking reflects the quality of our legal advice on complex divorce, financial claims, and children matters.

Pauline Purcell said: “I am so proud of everything we have achieved together. Mandi and Lisa deserve the warmest congratulations for their individual rankings. I also want to thank everyone at Purcell Solicitors for the part they played in this achievement.

“Our ranking belongs to the whole team. Every day, our colleagues bring care and commitment to their work. They support each other and give their full attention to the people who place their trust in us. I hope every member of the team feels proud of the contribution they have made.”

Chambers and Partners bases its rankings on independent research, including confidential feedback and an assessment of the work submitted by participating practices. Retaining Band 2 gives us valued external recognition of the standards our team works hard to maintain.

We are very grateful to everyone who provided feedback during the research process. We also want to thank our professional contacts for their continued support and, most of all, our colleagues for everything they do.

We look forward to building on this success together over the coming year.

What Is A Clean Break Order?

Last reviewed: 17th August 2026

Article summary

✓   A clean break order dismisses all future financial claims between you and your former spouse, protecting you both from being pursued over income, property or capital acquired later in life.

✓  Section 25A of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 requires the court to consider whether a clean break is appropriate in every case, including yours.

✓   You can usually close capital claims like the family home, savings or pensions immediately, while spousal maintenance claims are sometimes kept open for a fixed term for example until minor children achieve a particular age.

✓   A clean break can often be achieved by one party paying an additional lump sum to buy out spousal maintenance and achieve an immediate clean break.

✓   Once a clean break order is sealed, you cannot normally reopen it, except in the rare circumstances recognised as a Barder event.

✓   A clean break has no effect on child maintenance, which remains a separate and ongoing obligation regardless of your financial settlement’s terms.

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How Are Pensions Divided In Divorce?

Last reviewed: 17th August 2026

Article summary

✓  Your pension counts as a matrimonial asset under section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, whichever of you it is held in.

✓   A pension sharing order gives you a completely separate pension of your own, and this route achieves a clean break on that asset straight away. Some Government pension schemes require former spouses to remain as a member of that scheme, but under your own name.

✓  A pension attachment order keeps you financially tied to your former spouse for years and stops automatically if you remarry. Consideration also has to be given as to what happens to the pension if your former spouse dies and whether the pension dies with them

✓  Offsetting lets you trade pension value for other capital, often the family home or savings, if you need housing certainty now rather than retirement income later. A pensions on divorce expert will calculate the amount required to trade off.

✓  The transfer value your pension scheme quotes can significantly understate what a defined benefit pension is really worth, so skipping expert valuation risks a settlement that shortchanges you.

 

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Your Guide To Divorce Financial Settlements

Last reviewed: 29th October 2026

Article summary

✓  Your financial settlement is legally separate from your divorce. Getting divorced does not, by itself, stop your former spouse claiming against your income, property, savings or other assets, or pension later.

✓  The court divides your assets based on the factors under section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, which includes needs to achieve a fair outcome, not automatically down the middle.

✓  Your main options for reaching a settlement are direct negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or court proceedings, and most couples settle before a final hearing.

✓  Your pension is often your second largest asset after the family home, (and sometimes the largest asset) and dividing pensions correctly usually needs more than a quick look at the paperwork, and often specialist pensions on divorce reports.

✓  You only achieve finality once a judge seals a Consent Order, so an informal agreement between you and your former spouse may result in one party claiming against the other’s property, income, or assets in the future.

 

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Private Financial Dispute Resolution Hearings

Last reviewed: 27th July 2026

Article summary

✓  Your private FDR hearing gives you a non-binding indication from an independent evaluator about how a court would likely decide your case.

✓  You and your former spouse jointly choose and pay the evaluator, often a senior barrister or a retired judge, and agree a date that suits you both for the hearing to take place.

✓  The evaluators costs are typically between £3,000 to £6,000 plus vat usually split between you, plus your own legal representation.

✓  If you are already in existing Court proceedings and rely on the court’s own FDR listing, you risk waiting significantly longer for a private FDR hearing and risk a lower chance of settling on the day, given current court delays.

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Introduction

It is no secret that the family court system in England and Wales is creaking at the seams. Financial remedy proceedings currently take an average of nine to 18 months from filing the initial application (Form A) to securing a final order. However, due to a shortage of judges, hearings are often cancelled at the last minute and proceedings delayed for long periods, This can be extremely stressful and frustrating for couples who want to move forward with their post-divorce lives. One way to avoid these delays is to have a private Financial Disputes Resolution (FDR) hearing. This gives you and your former spouse the same kind of judicial steer, on a date you choose, without waiting in a queue.

If you are not already within Court proceedings for financial remedy you can both agree to appoint a private FDR judge to give guidance and their view on likely outcomes if the matter were to proceed to Court. Many couples are using the private FDR process to settle financial matters on divorce quickly and cost effectively without involving the Court.

What is a Private Financial Dispute Resolution hearing?

A private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) hearing, also referred to as a private early neutral evaluation (ENE), is an alternative to the court-based FDR process in financial remedy proceedings. It involves the parties voluntarily engaging a neutral third party, often a specialist barrister, solicitor, or retired judge, to facilitate negotiations and provide an evaluative opinion on the likely outcome of the case. This process is designed to assist the parties in narrowing or resolving their financial disputes on the day without the need for a court hearing.

Private FDRs offer several advantages over court-based financial dispute resolution hearings. They allow for greater flexibility in scheduling, as the parties can choose a time and location that suits them, including evenings or weekends. The evaluator is a specialist in the area to be resolved which is particularly helpful in complex financial matters. The evaluator also t has much more time to prepare and focus on the case, receiving and reading the papers in advance which often a Court Judge does not have time for., This leads to a higher chance of settling on that day or shortly thereafter. The costs of the evaluator are borne by the parties, usually shared equally, although one party may agree to cover the full cost

What happens on the day of a private FDR hearing?

On the day of your private FDR, the independent evaluator that you and your former spouse have jointly appointed reads your papers in advance, hears submissions from the legal representatives of each side, then gives their view of how the issues should be settled and the likely outcome at a final hearing. You typically spend the morning before the evaluator who gives their indication and then the rest of the day negotiating to try to resolve all issues. If you are able to reach an agreement a Consent Order setting out the terms of the agreement is prepared and signed by all parties so you can finalise the day knowing you have concluded all matters. This is an enormous relief for most people that they have been able to resolve all matters. The Consent Order will then be lodged at Court for approval and made into a formal Court Order.

Your private FDR follows the same structure as the court-based FDR appointment under rule 9.17 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010. Rule 9.17(1) states that “the FDR appointment must be treated as a meeting held for the purposes of discussion and negotiation,” and rule 9.17(6) requires that “parties attending the FDR appointment must use their best endeavours to reach agreement on matters in issue between them.” For your private hearing, which means the day is built around settlement, not around a formal legal argument. The whole session is conducted on a without prejudice basis, meaning that discussions and proposals made during the session cannot be used as evidence in subsequent court proceedings if you have been unable to reach an agreement.

You and your former spouse each attend with your own legal representative, and the evaluator hears brief submissions on the outstanding issues before giving an indication of their give and what a court would likely order. This can often be a range of potential outcomes given the discretionary nature of a judge imposed decision at a final hearing.

Who acts as the evaluator?

The evaluator acting is usually a senior family barrister or solicitor or a retired family court judge, chosen jointly by you and your spouse rather than assigned by the court.

You have freedom to select someone whose experience matches your case, whether that means a solicitor or barrister who has extensive experience in divorce financial settlements or a retired judge with decades of financial remedy experience on the bench. Because you are both paying for this person’s time, you can choose someone whose availability suits your timetable, rather than accepting whichever judge happens to be free on the court’s list that day. Your evaluator’s role ends once the hearing concludes and they take no further part in your case if it proceeds to a formal court hearing.

How much does a private FDR cost?

A private FDR evaluator’s fee typically ranges from £3,000 to £6,000 plus vat for the day, split between you and your spouse (although one party can pay the entire fee if that is what you both agree), on top of your own legal representation costs. Complex cases involving business valuations or offshore assets can push the evaluator’s fee higher.

Private FDR costs include the evaluator’s preparation time reading your papers in advance (often the day before), plus their attendance for the full day. Where the hearing takes place at solicitors’ or barrister’s offices, this fee often also covers room hire and refreshments. Your own barrister or solicitor’s fees for preparing and attending the hearing sit on top of the evaluator’s charge, much as they would for a court FDR. Weighed against the cost of a contested final hearing, which can run into many thousands of pounds once expert witnesses and multiple further hearings are added, a private FDR often represents the cheaper route to a resolved case.

How likely is a private FDR to settle your case

A private FDR settles the large majority of cases that use it, with one specialist provider reporting an 80% success rate compared with under 50% for court-based FDR hearings, according to the Farquhar Report. The idea of private FDRs also has enthusiastic support from the judiciary. On his last day in office as President of the Family Division (27 July 2018), Sir James Munby expressed his support, saying:

“I hope that the lead and other judges will take the opportunity to develop and encourage the use of ‘private’ FDRs locally. A private FDR is a simple concept. The parties pay for a financial remedy specialist to act as a private FDR judge. That person may be a solicitor, barrister, or retired judge. No additional qualifications are required. The private FDR takes place at a time convenient to the parties, usually in solicitors’ offices or barristers’ chambers, and a full day is normally set aside to maximise the prospects of settlement. It takes the place of the in-court FDR.”

The higher settlement rate reflects the focused attention a private FDR gives your case: your evaluator has read only your papers, has an entire day set aside for you, and faces none of the list pressure a court-based FDR judge often does. If you do not settle on the day, you have lost nothing procedurally if you are already within existing Court proceedings: the case simply continues towards a final hearing, with directions given by the court in the usual way. Most couples find that even where full agreement is not reached at the hearing itself, the evaluator’s indication substantially narrows what remains in dispute.

Private FDRs are particularly useful and successful if you are not already within existing Court proceedings but wish to try to resolve all financial matters at an early stage without the Court’s involvement and delays. You and your solicitors can agree to appoint a private FDR Judge early on, after financial disclosure has taken place and thus avoid what are often substantial delays and costs in going through the Court process.

When is a private FDR suitable for your case

A private FDR suits your case if you and your former spouse are both willing to engage constructively, your assets are complex enough to benefit from focused expert attention, or you want a faster resolution than the current court list allows. It requires genuine cooperation from both sides to work.

You can use a private FDR either within existing court proceedings, once the court grants an order permitting the substitution, or before you have issued a court application at all, provided you have exchanged financial disclosure voluntarily. This flexibility means you do not have to wait until your case reaches the court’s own FDR stage to try this route. A private FDR is less likely to help you if your former spouse is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, since the entire process depends on both of you using the evaluator’s indication as a genuine basis for settlement rather than as another point to dispute.

Our guide on which non-court dispute resolution route to use compares a private FDR against mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law, so you can weigh which option fits your situation before committing to one.

Talk to Purcell Solicitors

A private FDR is just one of several non-court dispute resolution options available to separating couples, and our non-court dispute resolution team can help you decide which route best suits your situation. We have considerable experience in private FDR’s and regularly act for clients as their Solicitor in a private FDR, either within existing Court proceedings or before any Court proceedings are issued. We are also able to advise you strategically as to whether it is in your interests to have a private FDR, and when, to maximise your chances of success and be as cost effective as possible.

If you are considering a private FDR or want help choosing the right evaluator for your case, we can talk you through the process and what it is likely to cost you. Our family law team regularly represents clients at private FDR hearings across Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and the Thames Valley, and you can reach us through our contact page.

Please note this article does not constitute legal advice.

What Is Family Law Arbitration?

Last reviewed: 28th July 2026

Article summary

✓  Family law arbitration gives you a binding decision from an arbitrator you and your former partner choose.

✓  You can use arbitration for financial disputes on divorce and for specified disputes about your children, including where they live and how time is shared.

✓  The arbitrator is specifically experienced in the area of law to be determined which can be particularly helpful in complex matters.

✓  Pauline Purcell is an IFLA-accredited family arbitrator in financial remedy cases, so you can ask her to act as arbitrator or to represent you in an arbitration where another arbitrator is appointed.

✓  Your hearing takes place in private, with no media access and no public record of the arbitration itself.

✓  If you wait for a court hearing instead, you may face months, and sometimes years, of delay that arbitration can often avoid.

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Introduction

In my experience, most clients are highly distressed if mediation or other forms of non-court dispute resolution fail as they assume the next step is a contested court hearing, with all the stress and cost such a route involves. Fortunately, there is an alternative solution. Family law arbitration allows you and your former partner/spouse to appoint an experienced qualified arbitrator, fix a timetable around your case, and move to a binding outcome (the courts retain jurisdiction to uphold or enforce the award, ensuring it aligns with legal standards) without joining the court backlog. In addition, the cost of family law arbitration is usually less than taking your case to the Family Court.

What is family law arbitration?

Family law arbitration is a private and formal method of dispute resolution where parties agree to appoint an experienced qualified arbitrator to adjudicate their dispute and make a binding decision. It has been available in England and Wales since 26 March 2012

Family arbitration can address financial disputes arising from marriage, civil partnerships, cohabitation, and parenting arrangements, as well as disputes concerning children. The process is initiated by the parties signing an arbitration agreement, such as the ARB1FS form for financial disputes or the ARB1CS form for children disputes, which binds them to the arbitration process and the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators IFLA rules. The arbitrator’s decision, referred to as an award (in financial cases) or a determination (in children’s cases), is binding on the parties, provided it falls within the parameters that a court would consider acceptable.

How does arbitration differ from mediation?

Arbitration gives you a binding decision from a qualified arbitrator. Mediation helps you and your former partner try to reach your own agreement, but the mediator cannot impose an outcome. If mediation breaks down, arbitration gives you a route to a decision that does not depend on further agreement between you.

In mediation, a trained mediator helps you discuss the issues, but any arrangement you reach usually needs to be turned into a court order by consent before it carries legal effect. In arbitration, by signing the aforementioned forms, you and your partner agree to be bound by the arbitrator’s written decision under the IFLA rules. The arbitrator then makes a decision which is usually binding on the parties and unless there are exceptional circumstances, approved by the Court and made into a Court Order.

Who can act as your arbitrator?

Your arbitrator must be a family law specialist accredited under the IFLA scheme. That will usually be an experienced solicitor, barrister, or retired judge with arbitration training and qualifications. You and your former partner must agree who that person is, and you can choose an arbitrator with specific experience in the area of law which needs to be resolved. This can be in contrast with a Court Judge who may have their core experience in another area of law.

I am accredited by IFLA as an arbitrator whose specialism includes family financial matters, particularly those involving high-net-worth matters, pensions and businesses. You can ask me to act as arbitrator if both of you agree, or I can represent you as your Solicitor in an arbitration conducted by another arbitrator.

Once appointed, your arbitrator only decides the dispute you have referred to arbitration. Article 2 of the Family Law Arbitration Scheme Rules sets out the financial and property disputes the scheme can cover, so the arbitrator’s authority depends on the issues you and your former partner have agreed to submit.

Can arbitration resolve disputes about my children?

Yes. If you and your former partner both agree, arbitration can resolve some disputes about your children as well as financial disputes. Although, arbitration concerning children’s issues is limited in its scope an arbitrator can make decisions about numerous issues concerning your children. .

The IFLA Children Arbitration Scheme allows parties to resolve private law disputes concerning children, provided they fall within the scheme’s remit. These include issues such as:     

✓ where a child should live,

✓ shared living arrangements,

✓ visiting arrangements,

✓ education,

✓ routines,

✓ non-life-threatening medical treatment, and

✓ applications to remove a child from the jurisdiction temporarily or permanently.

 

However, the scheme expressly excludes certain matters, such as:

✓ international child abduction cases,

✓ disputes involving the jurisdiction of courts outside England and Wales,

✓ life-changing or life-threatening medical treatment, and

✓ cases where a party lacks capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

How much faster and more private is arbitration?

Arbitration can move much faster than a contested court hearing because the timetable is fixed around the arbitrator’s availability and your case, rather than the court’s listing pressures. The family courts are under significant pressure and private law cases, particularly financial remedy on divorce can be significantly delayed in the Court system as other areas of law are given priority to Court resources. Under the IFLA rules, the arbitration and its outcome are confidential except where disclosure is needed to challenge, implement, enforce, or vary an award, or where the law requires disclosure.

The arbitrator will control the process and make directions about what financial disclosure must be provided before a decision can be made. IFLA’s public guidance states that media are not admitted to meetings, so your finances and your children’s arrangements stay out of a public hearing list.

 

Feature	Family arbitration	Contested court hearing
Who decides	An arbitrator you and your former partner choose	A judge assigned by the court
Timetable	Fixed around availability in your case	Fixed by the court listing system
Privacy	Confidential process; media not admitted to meetings	Court hearings may be open to the public and press
Typical pace	Often much quicker than waiting for a final hearing date	Often slowed by court delay and adjournment risk

Is a family law arbitrator’s decision legally binding?

Your arbitrator’s decision is intended to be binding once you and your former partner have signed the arbitration agreement., In financial cases, although a properly conducted arbitral award carries substantial weight, the court must still assess the award against the factors listed in section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and determine if the financial settlement is fair and puts the welfare of any children first and foremost. The court retains the discretion to substitute its own order if it finds the award to be unjust or outside the range of reasonable outcomes. However, it is rare for a Court to overturn an arbitrator’s award.

Talk to Purcell Solicitors

If you are considering family law arbitration, we can talk you through how the process works, whether it suits your case, and what the next step would look like. We advise on arbitration across Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and the Thames Valley. You can contact us through our contact page or by telephone on 01908 693000.

Please note this article does not constitute legal advice.

Financial Remedies Reform Explained

Last reviewed: 21st July 2026

Article summary

✓  The Law Commission concluded in December 2024 that the law lacks the certainty and accessibility that couples need when negotiating a divorce financial settlement.

✓  The government’s preferred model, called codification-plus, would set today’s case law principles into statute while making targeted changes in areas like nuptial agreements.

✓  If you want financial certainty now, a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement, drafted properly, already carries significant weight under existing law.

✓  Non-court dispute resolution remains the fastest route to a settlement for you right now, whatever reforms eventually follow.

 

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Introduction

The rules governing divorce financial settlements are currently well understood, however the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 has not been substantively rewritten in over fifty years. Marriage and families have changed a great deal over this time. That’s why, on 5^th June 2026 the government launched a consultation, A Fairer End to Relationships. If the proposals are passed into law, it would signify the biggest change to divorce finance law in England and Wales in decades.

At the centre of the proposals is a ‘codification-plus’ model, which would put settled case-law principles, such as sharing and needs, into statute for the first time, while keeping a degree of judicial discretion within a clearer framework. The consultation also asks whether legally binding ‘qualifying nuptial agreements’ should be introduced, giving couples more certainty over how their finances would be divided if they later divorced, provided safeguards such as full financial disclosure and independent legal advice are met.

None of the above impact your position if you are going through a divorce today. The consultation closes on 14^th August 2026, and any reform will still need further policy development and a new Act of Parliament before it becomes law, so it will not affect cases already before the courts.

Why is the current law considered uncertain?

The current law gives judges very wide discretion under section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, and neither ‘financial needs’ nor ‘matrimonial property’ is defined anywhere in the statute itself. Two judges can reach different outcomes on similar facts, making it hard for you to predict your own case.

The

What is the Law Commission’s position?

The Law Commission concluded in its December 2024 scoping report that the law around divorce financial settlements requires reform but left the choice of model to government rather than making a specific recommendation itself. It set out four broad possible approaches, from a straightforward restatement of existing case law to a wholly new default matrimonial property regime. These ranged from:

      ✓  Codification – which restates current case law with minimal change.

      ✓  Codification-plus – which restates the law but makes targeted reforms in areas like nuptial agreements.

      ✓  Guided judicial discretion.

      ✓  A default regime – resembling frameworks used elsewhere in Europe.

The government has since chosen codification-plus as its preferred model, confirming its June 2026 consultation document would bring ‘settled case law principles, such as those of needs and sharing, into statutory form,’ according to the official consultation document.

What is proposed for nuptial agreements

The consultation proposes introducing binding qualifying nuptial agreements, which would let you and your partner make financial arrangements in advance that a court must uphold, subject to specific safeguards. This would go further than the current law, where nuptial agreements carry significant weight but are never fully binding on the court.

Under the current law, the Supreme Court held in Radmacher v Granatino [2010] UKSC 42, at paragraph 75, that:

“The court should give effect to a nuptial agreement that is freely entered into by each party with a full appreciation of its implications unless in the circumstances prevailing it would not be fair to hold the parties to their agreement.”

For you, that means a well-drafted agreement already carries real weight today, even though the court remains, in the Supreme Court’s words, ‘the arbiter of the financial arrangements between the parties.’ The government’s proposed qualifying nuptial agreements would remove much of that residual discretion in qualifying cases, provided you both entered into the agreement freely and with full disclosure.

What should you do right now

You should proceed with your financial settlement exactly as the current law requires, since no part of the consultation changes the rules that apply to your case today. If you want more certainty over your own arrangements, a properly drafted nuptial agreement already gives you that protection under existing law, without waiting for legislation that remains years away.

If you are considering marriage or are already married and want to protect specific assets, ask us about a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement drafted to meet the Radmacher safeguards: entered into freely, with independent legal advice for both of you, and with full financial disclosure. If you are already separating, resolving your finances now under the current, well-established framework remains the right approach.

Talk to Purcell Solicitors

These reforms affect how financial settlements are approached across the board, so it is worth speaking to our divorce financial settlement solicitors about what the changes mean for your case. If you want to understand how the proposed reforms might affect your situation, or want a nuptial agreement drafted to the current legal safeguards, we can talk you through your options. Our family law team advises on financial settlements and nuptial agreements across Milton Keynes and the Thames Valley. You can reach us through our contact page or by phoning +44 (0) 1908 693000.

Last reviewed: 27th July 2026

Please note this article does not constitute legal advice.

Which Family Non-Court Dispute Resolution Route Should I Use?

Choosing how to resolve things after a separation can feel daunting. Hence, it helps to know there are gentler routes than a courtroom, and that the right one depends on your circumstances. The right non-court dispute resolution route depends on how much control you want over the outcome, how complex your finances or child arrangements are, and whether you and your former partner can work together at all. Mediation suits couples who can communicate with support; collaborative law works where both want a dignified, lawyer-guided settlement; arbitration delivers a binding decision quickly; early neutral evaluation gives an expert view without commitment; and Resolution Together can be cost effective and reduce conflict by sharing one lawyer.

Last reviewed: 25th June 2026

Article summary

• ✓Since 29th April 2024, courts in England and Wales actively encourage non-court dispute resolution, and refusing it without good reason can lead to a costs order against you.
• ✓Five main routes exist: mediation, collaborative law, arbitration, early neutral evaluation (including private Financial Dispute Resolution), and the Resolution Together one-couple-one-lawyer model.
• ✓The route that suits you depends on your priorities around cost, speed, binding outcomes, conflict levels and your ability to communicate with the other party.
• ✓A mediated or collaboratively reached agreement on finances must still be converted into a court-issued consent order to become legally binding.
• ✓Purcell Solicitors offers all five routes covering Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Bedfordshire.

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Introduction

Family separation rarely feels straightforward, and in England and Wales, the number of people choosing to resolve financial and children disputes away from the courtroom has grown steadily. The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023 came into force on 29th April 2024. They significantly changed expectations around non-court dispute resolution (NCDR). Under rule 3.4(1A), the court “should encourage parties… to undertake non-court dispute resolution” wherever the timetable allows, and it no longer needs both parties’ agreement to do so. Completing a Form FM5, setting out your views on NCDR, is now a standard step before the first hearing in most financial cases.

Under rule 28.3(7) of the same instrument, a failure to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) or to engage with NCDR, without good reason, is a conduct factor the court may take into account when deciding costs in financial remedy proceedings. As Practice Direction 3A states in the Family Procedure Rules practice directions: “the court may take the parties’ conduct in relation to attending non-court dispute resolution into account when considering whether to make an order for costs.” That is a financial risk worth taking seriously.

What are the five main NCDR routes available?

Mediation, collaborative law, arbitration, early neutral evaluation (ENE), and Resolution Together each occupy a different place on the spectrum from “guided negotiation” to “binding decision.” In mediation, a trained, neutral mediator helps both of you reach your own agreement, covering finances, property, pensions, and arrangements for children. The mediator does not give legal advice or make decisions: you retain control of the outcome. In collaborative law, you and your former partner each appoint a trained collaborative lawyer, and all four of you meet in a series of round-table discussions until a settlement is reached. Both routes require a reasonable ability to communicate with each other.

Arbitration operates more like a private court. An arbitrator, often a senior barrister or retired judge, hears both sides and issues an award that the courts will then convert into a consent order. ENE and private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) bring in a neutral expert appointed jointly by the parties to give an opinion on the likely outcome if the matter went to court; that opinion is non-binding, but it often unlocks settlement because both parties hear a realistic assessment from a credible source, often a barrister or retired judge. Resolution Together is a newer model in which one lawyer acts for the couple rather than for each party, which can keep costs lower when the issues are agreed in principle.

How do the routes compare across key factors?

The table below sets out how each route performs across the factors most readers ask about before choosing.

Route	Who decides	Binding outcome	Approximate cost	Speed	Best for
Mediation	You and your former partner	No, needs consent order	Lower (hourly sessions)	Weeks to a few months	✓Couples who can communicate ✓Finances and/or children arrangements
Collaborative law	You and your former partner	No, needs consent order	Mid-range (four professionals in the room)	Weeks to months	✓Those wanting lawyer support throughout ✓Preserving relationships
Arbitration	Appointed arbitrator	Yes, award enforced by court	Mid to higher (arbitrator’s fee plus legal costs)	Weeks once appointed but can be longer	✓Complex finances ✓Need for a binding decision without court delay
Early neutral evaluation / private FDR	Non-binding expert opinion	No, but strongly informs the settlement	Varies (one-day hearing; judge or barrister)	A few weeks	✓Stalled negotiations ✓Testing the strength of a position
Resolution Together	A solicitor advises the couple	No, needs consent order	Lower (one lawyer, shared cost)	Weeks or longer	✓Amicable couples with broadly agreed terms

 

No route is universally superior. In my experience, the right choice turns on the client’s specific situation, and it is common to combine routes, for instance, attending an ENE to understand the likely court outcome, and if an agreement is not reached appointing an Arbitrator to make a decision.

What happens if you cannot agree through NCDR?

NCDR does not guarantee agreement, and the court remains available when it fails or is genuinely unsuitable. PD3A confirms: “While the FPR do not give the court the power to require parties to attend non-court dispute resolution, the court does have a duty to consider, at every stage in proceedings, whether non-court dispute resolution is appropriate.” The court therefore keeps the question of NCDR open at every stage of proceedings, well beyond the opening application.

Recognised exemptions from the MIAM requirement include a history of domestic abuse, urgency, a child protection concern, or a previous MIAM within the last four months. These are set out in the Children and Families Act 2014 and the procedural rules. If any of these apply to you, a solicitor can help you document the exemption correctly so that the court accepts it. Attempting to use an exemption that does not genuinely apply, simply to avoid NCDR, carries the same costs risk as an outright refusal.

How do you make a mediated agreement legally binding?

A mediated agreement on finances is not enforceable. Once you and your former partner reach a financial settlement, whether through mediation, collaborative law, or direct negotiation, the terms must be set out in a consent order, which the court then approves. Only at that point does the agreement acquire the same legal force as a contested court order. This step matters because without a consent order, either party can return to court at any time to make a financial claim, even after a final divorce order has been made.

Arrangements for children reached through mediation can be recorded in a parenting plan, which is not a court order. If both parties later disagree about the plan, a court application or NCDR process is needed. Where a more robust arrangement is required from the outset, for instance, where trust is limited, your solicitor may advise applying for a child arrangements order to formalise the terms.

When is arbitration the right choice for a financial dispute?

Arbitration is the right choice when you need a binding decision but want to avoid delay. Arbitration can resolve a financial dispute much more quickly than the Court because the arbitrator’s schedule, rather than the court’s listing backlog, sets the timetable. Family law arbitration is available for financial disputes on divorce and civil partnership dissolution, and increasingly for disputes between unmarried cohabitants. The arbitrator’s award is final and binding on both parties, subject only to a very narrow right of appeal on points of law. Pauline Purcell is an IFLA-accredited family law arbitrator and can advise whether your case is suitable.

How does early neutral evaluation differ from arbitration?

Early neutral evaluation and private FDR give you an expert opinion without surrendering the final decision to anyone. A neutral evaluator, typically an experienced barrister or a retired judge sitting privately, reviews the papers and hears short submissions from both sides, then delivers an assessment of how a court is likely to decide the matter. That assessment is not binding: you remain free to accept or reject it, and the evaluator’s views cannot be referred to in any subsequent court proceedings.

The value of ENE lies in its ability to break deadlock. Where one or both parties have an unrealistic view of their position, hearing an authoritative assessment often brings negotiations back on track without the cost and delay of a full contested hearing. Early neutral evaluation is particularly suited to cases where there is a genuine legal or valuation dispute, such as the treatment of pre-marital assets, a business valuation, or a pension-sharing question, that has prevented settlement.

What is the Resolution Together model and who is it for?

Resolution Together is a one-couple-one-lawyer approach in which a single solicitor provides legal advice to both parties jointly, rather than acting adversarially for one of them. It is the lowest-cost solicitor-led option because both parties share the legal fee, and it avoids the dynamic of competing legal teams. The model works best where both people broadly agree on the outcome and want qualified guidance to document it correctly and spot any issues before finalising a consent order.

It is not suitable where there is a significant imbalance of power, a history of domestic abuse, or a genuine dispute about the financial or child arrangements. In those circumstances, independent legal advice is the only appropriate approach. Resolution Together at Purcell Solicitors is offered by the same team that provides the full spectrum of NCDR services, so if your needs change as discussions progress, the firm can adapt its support.

 

Talk to Purcell Solicitors

Choosing the right non-court dispute resolution route depends heavily on your circumstances, and our non-court dispute resolution team can help you weigh up the options available. Purcell Solicitors has supported families across Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Bedfordshire on every NCDR route for more than 30 years, always with care and without judgement. To talk through which process suits your circumstances, contact the team through the contact page or call: +44 (0)1908 693000

Do You Need a Consent Order After Your Divorce?

Article Summary

• A Consent Order is a court-approved document that makes your agreed financial settlement legally binding. Without one, financial claims between former spouses can remain open for years.
• Informal agreements, even written ones, carry no legal force. Only a sealed court order gives you the protection you need.
• A judge reviews every Consent Order before approving it, checking that the terms are fair. There is usually no hearing.
• Applications are made through the HMCTS portal once the divorce has reached the conditional order stage. The court fee is £60.
• Court approval typically takes between two and six weeks, though complex orders or periods of high court workload can extend this.

What a Consent Order Is

A Consent Order is a court-approved legal document that records the financial agreement reached by two people divorcing or dissolving a civil partnership. It sets out how assets such as property, pensions, savings, and investments will be divided and can also cover spousal maintenance, lump-sum payments, and child maintenance if agreed. Once a judge has reviewed and sealed it, the order becomes legally binding and enforceable.

The divorce itself and the financial settlement are two separate legal processes. A final order ends the marriage, but it does not resolve finances. Financial claims between former spouses remain open indefinitely unless a court order closes them. An exception to this is that financial claims against the other’s assets or income terminate on remarriage. A Consent Order provides finality. It converts a private agreement into a court order which can be relied upon.

Why You Need One

Many separating couples reach informal agreements about money and property. They divide things between themselves and assume the matter is settled. It is not. Without a consent order, any agreement you reach, whether spoken or written, has no legal standing. A court may not enforce an agreement you believe you have reached if your former spouse later changes their mind or fails to honour what was agreed.

The consequences can be severe. A former spouse could bring a financial claim years after your divorce and we have experience of many cases where this has happened. Not only does this cause considerable anxiety and distress many years after you believed financial matters were concluded, but you will have legal costs of dealing with this. In addition you will have to disclose your financial position at that time, which could be many years later and your financial position then will be taken into account when the court assesses what financial settlement is fair. Your former spouse could seek a share of a pension, an inheritance, or property you purchased with a new partner long after the marriage ended. The only way to prevent this is to obtain a court order that formally dismisses all future claims. A Consent Order achieves precisely this.

What a Consent Order Contains

The content depends on the financial provisions negotiated and agreed. Common provisions include:

• Transfer of the family home to one spouse, or its sale and the division of proceeds
• Lump sum payments from one party to the other
• Pension sharing orders, which split a pension fund between the parties
• Spousal maintenance, specifying regular payments for a defined period or on a joint lives basis
• Child maintenance arrangements (though these are often dealt with separately through the Child Maintenance Service)
• A clean break clause, which dismisses all future financial claims between the parties

The order must reflect a fair division of assets. Simply agreeing on terms between yourselves does not guarantee approval. A judge will scrutinise every Consent Order before sealing it.

How to Apply for a Consent Order

You can apply for a Consent Order once your divorce has reached the conditional order stage. For divorces issued before April 2022, the equivalent stage was decree nisi.

The process involves several steps:

• Both parties agree on the financial terms through direct negotiation, mediation, solicitor-led negotiations, or another form of dispute resolution.
• A solicitor drafts the consent order, setting out the agreed terms in precise legal language.
• Both parties sign the draft consent order.
• Both parties complete a Statement of Information (Form D81), providing the court with a summary of their respective financial positions.
• One party files a Form A (notice of application for a financial order), marked ‘for dismissal purposes only’.
• The signed consent order, Forms D81 and A, and the £60 court fee are submitted to the court.

The Judge’s Role

A judge reviews every Consent Order before it is sealed. The court’s role is not to act as a rubber stamp. The judge examines the financial information provided in the Forms D81 to satisfy themselves that the agreement is fair and reasonable in all the circumstances.

There is usually no court hearing. If the judge considers the order fair, it is approved and sealed without either party attending. If the judge is not satisfied, they may return the order with questions or request amendments. Where both parties have received independent legal advice and negotiated within accepted parameters following full financial disclosure, approval is the usual outcome.

How Long Does It Take?

Once the signed Consent Order and supporting documents have been submitted, court approval typically takes between two and four weeks. Some orders are approved within days if the reviewing judge has capacity. More complex orders or periods of high court workload can extend the timeframe to six weeks or more. Ensuring all documents are correctly completed and signed avoids unnecessary delays.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

A consent order needs to be drafted carefully to be enforceable, so many couples ask our divorce financial settlement solicitors to prepare or review the document before submission.

Failing to obtain a Consent Order is one of the most common and costly mistakes in divorce. Consider a person who agrees informally to have their former spouse keep the family home in exchange for a cash payment. If that payment stops after the first instalment, there is no court order to enforce. The person who gave up their share of the property has no legal remedy and may need to start proceedings from scratch.

A Consent Order eliminates that risk. It gives both parties the certainty that their agreed financial arrangements will be respected and the legal tools to enforce them if they are not. Specialist family law solicitors at Purcell Solicitors can advise on your financial settlement, draft your consent order, and manage the court application on your behalf.