Single solicitor service

One Couple, One Lawyer – Is the Single Solicitor Service suitable for you?

The One Couple, One Lawyer approach is designed for couples who wish to separate or divorce amicably, and who are committed to working together in a respectful and transparent way. It is a flexible service that can be adapted to suit a range of family law matters. It is also a great option for couples considering entering into prenuptial or postnuptial agreements due to its neutral way of dealing with the contract, preserving trust, and allowing full transparency.

✔️ Financial Settlements After Separation

This service is especially well-suited to couples who need to divide assets, property, pensions, and other finances following a divorce or civil partnership dissolution. With both parties receiving joint, legal guidance, it’s possible to reach a fair, legally sound agreement — while avoiding the cost, stress, and delays of court proceedings.

✔️ Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements

Couples preparing to marry or already married may wish to put in place an agreement that clarifies how financial matters will be handled should the relationship break down in future. Our One Couple, One Lawyer model allows both parties to work together in a cooperative, non-confrontational environment — preserving the trust and spirit of the relationship. Using a single solicitor also ensures clarity, avoids unnecessary legal conflict, and helps maintain the amicable nature of the arrangement.

✔️ Child Arrangements (In Suitable Cases)

While not appropriate for all parenting matters, this service may support families who are aligned on key issues relating to their children and wish to formalise practical agreements regarding care, contact, and responsibilities. When cooperation is possible, this approach helps minimise disruption for children and fosters a foundation for healthier co-parenting relationships moving forward.

✔️ Drafting Consent Orders Following Mediation or ADR

If you’ve reached an agreement through mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution, our One Couple, One Lawyer service can help formalise that outcome. Rather than seeking separate legal representation, you can jointly instruct our solicitor to draft the necessary consent order and complete all formalities — saving time, costs, and keeping the process smooth and cooperative

The Advantages of Working Together

Choosing to jointly instruct a single solicitor offers a number of significant benefits:

Cost Savings
Sharing one solicitor is typically far more affordable than each party hiring separate legal teams. There is no duplication of effort, and fewer billable hours are spent communication back and forth through opposing solicitors.
Faster Resolution
With both parties aligned from the outset and working with one professional, decisions can be reached more quickly — avoiding court backlogs and long waiting periods.
Less Conflict
This approach promotes open communication and mutual respect. It’s designed to reduce adversarial tension and support constructive problem-solving, rather than escalating disagreements.
Preserving Relationships
Divorce and separation are emotional processes, especially when children are involved. The One Couple, One Lawyer model supports a cooperative atmosphere, helping couples protect family dynamics and move forward with dignity and understanding.
Clarity and Transparency
Both parties receive the same legal information at the same time. There are no surprises, no conflicting legal interpretations, and no unnecessary escalation — just clear, honest, impartial advice to help you find the best way forward together.

International Expertise Where You Need It Most

Many of our clients face cross-border legal challenges — from assets held in different countries to questions about validity of agreements reached prior or after entering into marriage, or questions about implications of foreign matrimonial property regimes.

We are uniquely positioned to help:

Cross-Border Solutions
If your case involves international property, businesses, or relocation issues, we have the experience to ensure your agreement is legally sound and enforceable across borders.
Dually Qualified Lawyers
Several members of our team are qualified in more than one jurisdiction. This reduces the need to involve multiple professionals and helps streamline the process — especially useful in drafting pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreements that span more than one country.
Trusted Global Network
Where needed, we collaborate with specialist advisors and legal experts abroad to deliver a truly joined-up approach — ensuring the best outcomes, wherever your circumstances may take you.

Is This the Right Option for You?

The One Couple, One Lawyer service may be right for you if:

You are both committed to reaching a fair agreement without court intervention
You are able to communicate respectfully and openly
You want to save time, reduce costs, and avoid unnecessary conflict

This service may not be suitable if:

There is a significant imbalance of power between you
There are safeguarding concerns or a history of domestic abuse
Either party prefers to have their own independent legal representation

Take the First Step Toward a Collaborative Solution

At IMD Solicitors, we are proud to offer a forward-thinking, people-focused approach to family law. With deep experience in both domestic and international matters, and a commitment to resolving issues with dignity and care, our One Couple, One Lawyer service offers a genuine alternative to traditional divorce.

Contact us today to book a confidential consultation and find out whether this approach could work for your family.

Example of cases we have dealt with:

F v F - Acted for a German husband in a complex financial remedy matter. He decided to instruct IMD Solicitors after he had lost trust in his previously instructed solicitors and feared that he would not achieve a favourable outcome from the proceedings. The relevant assets were spread across the globe with some located in the UK (including a multi-million pound business), Gibraltar, Spain, Dubai, and Poland. The overall value of assets exceeded £24 million. The husband had been cut off from the matrimonial assets and excluded from control of the business that had been established by his family. The case involved the instruction of numerous experts, for business valuations, Capital Gains Tax reports, and opinions on the enforcement of orders in foreign jurisdictions, and dealing with several applications, including applications for orders to freeze assets, prevent the disposition of assets, for the joinder of parties, and to litigate conduct issues. The final result exceeded the client’s expectations.

L v L - We were instructed by a mother in a complex international children matter. She was required by orders of the UK courts to return the child to the UK from Poland. She had travelled with the child to Poland but, following unsuccessful application to extend her stay there in August 2017, she decided not to return to the UK because the child disclosed sexual abuse by a member of the paternal family and the father. In September 2018, the Polish court dismissed the father’s Hague Convention application for the child's return on the basis of Article 13(b), a decision which the father appealed. In March 2019, the father applied to the UK High Court for an order for the child’s return pursuant to the procedure set out in Article 11(6) – (8) of the Brussels IIA Regulation. Despite the father's unsuccessful Hague Convention application in Poland, the UK court ordered the return of the child. Article 11 does not allow the court of the returning country much discretion. After all of this, the mother instructed IMD Solicitors to apply to discharge the orders of the UK Court for the return of the child. Even in the face of the fact that most applications to discharge such return orders fail, we succeeded. We are currently awaiting a decision in the UK courts on a further application for the transfer of jurisdiction to the Polish courts where the mother resides with the child.

G v P - We represent a Spanish mother in respect of an urgent application for a Child Arrangements Order and Specific Issue Order in the UK seeking the relocation of the child to Spain. This was after the return of the child to the UK under Hague Convection proceedings which this mother lost in Spain. She was asking for an order for the relocation of the child back to Spain and an urgent interim Child Arrangements Order to allow her to see the child pending the final outcome of the UK proceedings. IMD successfully argued that, regardless of the return of the child to the UK under the Hague Convention, the mother should be allowed unsupervised overnight contact with the child. We were delighted to be able to secure her contact with the child for Christmas and she said that it was the best Christmas gift she could have wished for. The outcome of the application for the relocation is pending.

S v V - We currently represent the father in Child Arrangements Order proceedings issued by the mother in relation to variation of a UK order made in the face of numerous other international proceedings. He is an Italian National who has been living in France for the last 20 years and the mother is a Lithuanian national. The child is now 11 years old and proceedings concerning the child have been ongoing in various jurisdictions for the majority of the child`s life. Contested divorce proceedings including child arrangements took place in Monaco. The French Court and authorities were also involved, and various proceedings had been ongoing between parties since 2013 in France and Monaco. The parties’ divorce was pronounced in Monaco. Thereafter, in December 2020, the mother submitted an application to relocate to England with the child, and the relocation took place in June 2021. Upon relocation, the she lodged a child arrangement order application, seeking to register a judgment made in Monaco and to vary the same in respect of the contact arrangements between the father and the child. The father seeks for the child’s return to Monaco. Due to the parties’ mutual allegations and the associated international elements, various authorities and courts that have been involved in the case, the local authority has become involved with the family and a guardian has been instructed to represent the child in the UK proceedings. At present, these proceedings in England are ongoing and the outcome of the professional reports regarding the family are awaited.

P v P - We have acted for the Respondent Husband in relation to the financial remedy proceedings in the UK. The parties had various assets in the UK and Romania consisting mainly of the portfolio of properties but conduct issues were raised by the Wife due to a business of the Husband over which she had lost control and her allegations of dissipation of assets. The value of assets excluding the business were in a region of £3 million.

K v K - We act in financial remedy proceedings for a wife who is a Polish national. The matter's complexity mainly comes from a dispute between the parties around land in Poland. Its value was initially in dispute but was then assessed by a joint expert to be in the region of half a million pounds. The total assets in this case are estimated to be worth over £1 million. The land in Poland is a subject to contract with a third party and is being leased as a photovoltaic (solar) farm. The division of the land to achieve an equal share of the assets is complicated due to the contract in place and plans for the future use of the land. Currently the parties are awaiting a final hearing but efforts are being made to reach a settlement with the aid of alternative dispute resolution and in order to save the parties money and avoid further delays.

R v O - We acted pro bono and worked together with a law firm in Poland to ensure that the Costa Rican Mother regains access to her child. The Mother's only child was abducted from the UK in 2014. The Mother was successful with the abduction case and the UK family courts ordered the return of the child. The orders were recognised in Poland but unfortunately due to various issues with the Mother's immigration status and court's delays in Poland, the orders were never enforced. The Mother was facing removal from the UK and prospects of never seeing her child again. We have corresponded with various courts in Poland dealing with international abduction matters and we decided that an application for contact should be issued rather than any proceedings for further enforcement of the orders, as the Mother had not seen the child for around 7 years. At the same we secured the Mother's stay in the UK making successful outside of immigration rules application
to extend her stay. We now receive regular photos from the Mother with her daughter, as face to face contact is taking place. We helped to secure an order of the Polish courts for the Mother to see the child regularly in person, whilst when she instructed us she was facing a prospect of never seeing her child again and being deported to Costa Rica.