Resolution is a national organisation of over 6,500 family justice professionals in England and Wales, including solicitors, barristers, mediators, and financial advisers. It was previously known as the Solicitors Family Law Association and has been promoting a non-confrontational approach to family law for over 30 years. Every member signs up to a formal Code of Practice that governs how they work with clients and opposing parties.

Resolution Members | Family Law Code of Practice

Q: What does the Resolution Code of Practice commit a solicitor to?

The Code commits every member to eight specific obligations: reducing conflict and confrontation; putting children's interests first; acting with honesty and objectivity; helping clients understand the long-term consequences of their decisions; treating everyone with respect; guiding clients through all available options; developing their knowledge and skills continuously; and applying the Resolution Guides to Good Practice in their work. Members are trained on the Code when they join and are expected to apply it in every matter they handle.

Q: Does the Code mean a solicitor will not fight my corner?

No. The Code requires a proportionate, honest approach; it does not prevent firm action when the situation calls for it. Where urgent steps are needed, where the other party is not engaging in good faith, or where court proceedings are the only realistic option, a Resolution member will act decisively. The difference is that every step taken is driven by your best interests rather than by a default towards confrontation.

Q: How is Resolution membership different from Law Society accreditation?

Resolution membership is about the approach a solicitor takes to their work, the values and conduct principles they commit to follow. Law Society Family Law Panel accreditation is a quality mark recognising a solicitor's depth of technical knowledge and experience in family law. The two are complementary, and several solicitors at Purcell Solicitors hold both.

Q: Does Resolution membership guarantee a particular outcome in my case?

No solicitor can guarantee a specific outcome. Resolution membership is a commitment about how your case will be handled: with honesty, without unnecessary conflict, and with your long-term position kept clearly in focus. That approach gives you the best realistic chance of reaching a fair and lasting resolution, but it cannot pre-determine the result.

Q: Is every solicitor at Purcell Solicitors a Resolution member?

Every solicitor in our family law team is a Resolution member. Several of our team also hold additional specialist accreditations through Resolution or the Law Society, recognising particular depth of expertise in specific areas of family law.

Q: How much does an initial consultation cost?

A first formal advice meeting is charged at a fixed fee of £250 + VAT, depending on which solicitor you see. Full details are on our pricing page.

Jump to: What the Code of Practice Requires What does resolution mean for your case? Why Us? Who We Are

“Pauline, Chantelle and team were very helpful and supportive during the whole process. They worked quickly and efficiently to achieve the final outcome of my divorce and closure of joint assets. The process, explainations and communication were very clear and concise which also helped keep costs manageable. I would highly recommend using Purcell for family and divorce legal matters.” – Review Solicitors

Every qualified solicitor at Purcell Solicitors is a member of Resolution, the national organisation of family justice professionals committed to a constructive, non-confrontational approach to resolving family disputes.

Resolution has more than 6,500 members across England and Wales, including solicitors, barristers, mediators, and financial advisers. Every member signs up to a formal Code of Practice on joining. The Code sets out how members are expected to work: with honesty, without unnecessary conflict, and with the interests of the whole family in view. Resolution has been promoting that approach for over 30 years.

Every member commits to applying the Code in their day-to-day work, and to keeping their knowledge and skills current through Resolution’s training programmes and good practice guides. At Purcell Solicitors, that commitment reflects how we approach every client matter, whether the issues are straightforward or complex. Our directors are ranked in Chambers and Partners for family and divorce law and we serve clients across Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, and the wider Thames Valley.

What the Code of Practice Requires

When a Family Law solicitor joins Resolution, they sign up to a formal commitment to eight specific obligations. Those obligations are not aspirational. Members are trained on the Code during their first year of membership and are expected to apply it in every case they handle.

The Code requires every Resolution member to:

Reduce or manage conflict and confrontation, for example, by avoiding inflammatory language in correspondence and avoiding steps that escalate rather than resolve a dispute.
Use their experience and knowledge to guide clients through all available options, including non-court routes such as mediation, collaborative law, and arbitration.
Help clients understand the potential long-term financial and emotional consequences of their decisions, not just the immediate legal position.
Act with honesty, integrity, and objectivity at all times, including when the honest advice is not what the client wants to hear.
Support and encourage families to put the best interests of any children first.
Listen to and treat everyone involved with respect and without judgment.
Use the Resolution Guides to Good Practice in their day-to-day work.
Continually develop their knowledge and skills.

The Guides to Good Practice are detailed guidance documents, produced and regularly updated by Resolution’s Standards Committee, that translate the Code into specific guidance for particular types of work. They cover communication, correspondence, domestic abuse cases, safeguarding children, working with vulnerable clients, and working with litigants in person, among other areas. Members are expected to use them as a working framework.

What does resolution mean for your case?

Family law matters involve your home, your finances, your children, and the shape of your life going forward. The way your solicitor handles the process affects not just the outcome but the emotional toll it takes to get there.

A solicitor bound by the Resolution Code will not write an aggressive letter when a measured one will do. They will not push you towards litigation when an agreement is within reach. They will tell you clearly when a proposed settlement is fair. Equally clearly, they will tell you when it is not. Agreed outcomes are more durable than court orders. They are reached more quickly, at lower cost, and with less damage to relationships that must continue after the legal process ends, in particular, a co-parenting relationship.

The Code does not prevent a Resolution member from taking firm action when it is genuinely needed. Where urgent protective steps are required, where the other party is not engaging in good faith, or where court is the only realistic option, we will act decisively. The difference is that the decision to take that step is made for the right reasons, not out of habit or because confrontation is easier than negotiation.

Why Us?

Mandi Austin and Haidee French both hold accredited specialist status on the Law Society Family Law Panel. Pauline Purcell is a qualified family arbitrator with over 30 years of experience. Lisa Buckridge is a Family Mediation Council-accredited mediatoroffering the full range of family mediation including as a child inclusive mediator. Pauline, Mandi and Lisa are also collaborative lawyers (with Pauline among the first in the country to be trained to offer this work).

Across the team, every family law solicitor at Purcell Solicitors is a Resolution member. For clients, that means the Code applies to every piece of work we handle for you, not just the matters that happen to be uncontested.

You can find our full range of family law services, including information on non-court dispute resolution, on our website.

Please contact us on 01908 693000 or complete our contact form and one of our resolution specialists will call you to discuss your situation.

Who we are

Our core dispute resolution is made up of

Pauline Purcell, Managing Director, Family Solicitor, Mediator, Collaborative Lawyer and Family Arbitrator, with over 30 years of experience.

Mandi Austin, Director, Family Law Solicitor, a member of Resolution and an accredited specialist on the Law Society Family Law Panel, with over 25 years of experience in family law as a qualified solicitor.

Lisa Buckridge, Director, Family Law Solicitor, Collaborative Lawyer, Family Mediation Council-accredited Mediator, and fully accredited in Child Inclusive Mediation, with over 20 years of experience in family law

Haidee French – Family Law Solicitor, a Member of Resolution and an accredited specialist on the Law Society Family Law Panel with over 12 years of experience in family law

Stephanie Dodman, Family Law Solicitor, member of Resolution.

Chantelle Pusey, Trainee Solicitor