UK – SOUTH WEST Trends and Developments Contributed by: Will MacFarlane, Sarah Dodds, John Ebenezer and Jennifer Headon, Birketts LLP
Prior to the pandemic, private FDR was commonplace for larger or more complex cases, but post-pandemic it is now very much the norm for anyone practising in Greater London. While the South West may have been slower to adopt this process, it is gaining in popular ‑ ity in larger urban centres such as Bristol, Exeter and Truro, with the local sets offering private FDR judges at most levels of call, as well as London counsel often being willing to travel to sit as tribunal as well. The Rise of the “One Couple, One Lawyer” Model Alongside the broader adoption of conventional NCDR options, 2025 saw an acceleration in the number of firms offering a “one couple, one lawyer” service. In particular, this has been driven by the tireless efforts of Resolution, which developed its “Resolution Togeth ‑ er” product, with over 360 lawyers being trained in the course’s first year. This has been adopted by large numbers of practitioners across the South West. While this model was once unthinkable due to conflict of interest concerns, it has gained momentum follow ‑ ing the widespread adoption of joint divorce applica ‑ tions under the no-fault divorce regime and given the rising demand for co-operative, cost-effective alterna ‑ tives to adversarial separation. While private FDR has been adopted more slowly in the regions, the uptake of “one couple, one lawyer” services has been signifi ‑ cant throughout England and Wales. The model received its first major academic evalua ‑ tion in 2025 by Dr Rachael Blakey of the University of Warwick. This examined the work of 24 practitioners and found: • high settlement rates (in some practices approach ‑ ing 100%); • successful outcomes where lawyers carried out rigorous screening, individual intake interviews and strict ethical boundary setting. Bristol Family Solutions The evolution of family law practice in England and Wales increasingly emphasises non-adversarial pathways, and the work of Bristol Family Law Solu ‑ tions illustrates how these national shifts appear at • strong client satisfaction; • a reduction in hostility; and
a local level. The group is a multidisciplinary collec ‑ tive of six types of professionals who work together to help separating couples resolve issues outside the court system. It brings together solicitors, mediators, financial neutrals, pension specialists, therapists and divorce coaches, providing families with integrated legal, emotional and financial support at every stage of separation. Their services include the Resolution Together joint advice model, collaborative law pro ‑ cesses, mediation, counselling, coaching and impar ‑ tial financial guidance, all designed to reduce conflict and empower families to make well-informed deci ‑ sions without entering adversarial proceedings. Its for ‑ mal launch on Wednesday 28 January 2026 was well attended, and the speech delivered by the Designated Family Judge for Bristol, HHJ Cope, was a clear sign that the group has support at the highest level. The existence of a team comprising six distinct pro ‑ fessional disciplines reflects the wider culture of the family law community in Bristol, which has shown a strong commitment to innovation and to embracing non-court problem-solving approaches. By embed ‑ ding therapeutic, legal and financial expertise within one co-operative structure, Bristol practitioners dem ‑ onstrate an orientation towards holistic, child-centred and minimally adversarial methods of practice. This shift mirrors national reform movements encouraging early intervention and interdisciplinary collaboration, suggesting that Bristol’s family law community not only supports these developments but actively mod ‑ els them in practice. Nuptial Agreements: Finally Time for Reform? Nuptial agreements have moved back to centre stage, and although the Radmacher v Granatino guidance still governs judicial weight, developments in policy and case law over the last year point towards clearer rules and stronger safeguards. In December 2025, the government confirmed that there is to be a wide-ranging consultation on cohabi ‑ tation reform and financial remedies which explicitly includes nuptial agreements within its scope. The consultation will come back to the Law Commission’s 2014 recommendations and will explore minimum safeguards (advice, disclosure, absence of duress) alongside a consistent approach across marriage,
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