James Pirrie

Could One Lawyer be the Right Choice for Many Couples?

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James Pirrie
James Pirrie
Director at
Family Law in Partnership

Is there another way to begin?

Most people assume that if a relationship ends, the first step is for each person to find their own lawyer. Sometimes that is exactly the right decision but in other situations, it may not be.

For many couples, the biggest challenge is understanding their options, making informed decisions and finding a way to move forward without unnecessary conflict or cost.

That raises an important question. Could one lawyer, advising both people together, be the better option for some couples?

When a family goes through change, it can be difficult to know what to do first. The path ahead may feel uncertain and, at a time when emotions are running high, making the right decisions can seem overwhelming.

In the past, you might have talked things through with your partner but now, they may be the one person you no longer feel able to rely on for guidance.

Instead of immediately asking, “Who should represent me?”, there may be a more helpful first question: “What process will help us make the best decisions for our family?”

For some couples, appointing separate solicitors is the right answer from the outset. For others, there may be a different way to begin, one that helps both people understand the legal framework, explore their options and work towards informed decisions together.

Why do people look for an alternative?

The traditional process can be expensive. A simple conversation may involve several stages:

  1. You speak with your lawyer
  2. Your lawyer contacts the other lawyer
  3. The other lawyer speaks with your ex
  4. They receive instructions
  5. Those instructions are passed back to the other lawyer
  6. The other lawyer contacts your lawyer
  7. Your lawyer then comes back to you.

That is a long process simply to begin a conversation.

People also worry that different lawyers may offer different views about the likely outcome. Legal advice is always shaped by the facts and circumstances, but it can sometimes leave people wondering where the common ground really lies.

When can one lawyer work?

Of course, one lawyer is not suitable for every family.

Where there are safeguarding concerns, controlling behaviour or deeply entrenched positions, separate representation may be the right and safest option.

There is, however, a large group of couples who simply want clear, independent legal information to help them make informed decisions together. They are asking questions such as:

  • What do we have and what are our options?
  • What is the usual approach?
  • What is likely to happen for each of us?
  • What risks should we avoid?
  • How do we meet our children’s needs while allowing both of us to move forward?

Choosing the right process

Choosing the right process at the beginning is one of the most important decisions you can make. The right process, with the right people at the right time, often leads to better outcomes.

Too often, uncertainty about what the other person might do leads both people to appoint specialist litigators before exploring whether there is a more constructive alternative.

For many families, a different approach can:

  • Provide clearer answers
  • Resolve issues more quickly
  • Reduce legal costs
  • Give everyone a better understanding of the available options
  • Allow both people to play a more active role in shaping the outcome

How does one lawyer work?

One lawyer sees the common interest between two people who might be separating as sufficient glue for acting for both of them together.

Before the process begins, there is a careful assessment to ensure that both people are choosing the process freely, that it is safe and appropriate and that each person is willing to listen, understand the options and make informed decisions.

When that foundation is in place, the conversation often becomes more productive. Both people hear the same advice, ask their own questions and develop a shared understanding of the legal framework within which they will make decisions.

In many circumstances, it allows a couple to work together again, not as partners, but as parents or former partners seeking practical solutions for the future.

A flexible approach

Importantly, choosing one lawyer is not an irreversible decision.

A couple can move to separate representation if the process no longer meets their needs. Equally, they may arrive at one lawyer after beginning in another process, such as Mediation.

For many families, it provides an excellent starting point. Two people hear the same advice, from the same lawyer, at the same time. From there, they are often better equipped to work together, understand their options and find their own way forward with clarity, care and confidence.

Find out more

Every family is different, and no single process is right for everyone. If you are considering whether the one lawyer approach could be right for you, we are here to help you understand your options.

Find out more about FLiP Together, One Couple, One Lawyer at:
https://www.flip.co.uk/flip-together-one-couple-one-lawyer/

Read more articles by James Pirrie.

Read more articles by Family Law in Partnership.

About James Pirrie

James Pirrie is a Director of Family Law in Partnership, a highly regarded law firm based in London, which specialises in de-escalating conflict in family law.  He is an Arbitrator, Family Solicitor and Mediator accredited in child-inclusive mediation.

James is driven to improve long term outcomes for families who are experiencing separation or divorce.  He is credited with introducing collaborative law to the UK and with changing how children’s needs are addressed during family breakdown through the Parenting after Parting initiative.

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The Most Common (and Costly) Mistakes People Make During Divorce

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James Pirrie
James Pirrie
Director at
Family Law in Partnership

After more than four decades working with separating families, I have learnt that while every relationship is unique, the mistakes people make during divorce are often strikingly similar.

Time and again, I see good people lose time, money and emotional energy by approaching separation in ways that unintentionally make matters worse. Some delay getting advice. Others become trapped in conflict, guilt or the pursuit of “fairness” at any cost. The good news is that most of these pitfalls are avoidable.

Whether your separation is relatively amicable or highly complex, understanding the common mistakes people make during divorce proceedings can help you protect your finances, preserve your wellbeing and move more quickly towards a workable future.

These are some of the issues I encourage people to address:

  1. Not getting started

Not every falling out leads to separation but problems left unresolved often become more complicated over time.

When you know the relationship cannot return to where it was, getting advice early can help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.

  1. Overlooking “safety first”

In some situations, separation follows a relationship affected by power imbalance, coercion or control. That does not always mean the first step is seeking injunctions, which can increase tension and costs and may only be necessary in a minority of situations.

It does mean taking time to consider how you can protect your wellbeing and approach discussions from the strongest possible position.

If you need help to leave safely, there are amazing organisations that can help you manage a safe exit.  Everything follows from this.

  1. Forgetting that there are only so many ways forward

In most situations, there are only a small number of possible outcomes:

  • You reach an agreement together
  • Things remain unresolved
  • An outcome is imposed through a legal process.

If an outcome is imposed, it is likely to reflect the legal framework rather than either person’s sense of fairness or preference.

  1. Falling back on personal morality when the law is involved

Whether acting as a representative, mediator, arbitrator or within the one lawyer process, I often hear people express their position in terms of what feels fair or unfair.

Those feelings are understandable. But once the law becomes part of the solution, the focus changes.

The questions usually become:

  • What are the facts?
  • What are the relevant legal principles?
  • Applying those principles to the facts, what range of outcomes is likely?
  • What solution can realistically be achieved within that range?

  1. Rolling over too quickly

Seeking resolution does not mean giving up too much simply to bring matters to an end.

Many people agree to arrangements they believe are unfair, simply to achieve a quick conclusion, later regret doing so.

It is important to understand your position, hold onto the points that matter most, and work towards a solution that feels balanced and sustainable. Compromise is often necessary, but it should support a workable outcome rather than create future problems.

  1. Struggling to find the right process

Choosing the right process, with the right support, can make a significant difference to both the experience and the outcome.

You do not need to understand every process option at the outset. Your role is to:

  1. Find a professional you trust
    B. Be clear about the challenges, concerns and priorities for both you and your ex-partner.

A good adviser will help you explore the available options, whether that involves Mediation, Collaborative Law, Arbitration, Negotiation, Litigation.

They should also be able to connect you with other professionals, including financial specialists and counsellors, where appropriate. Their role is to help guide you towards the process most likely to support a constructive outcome.

  1. Seeking to dominate at all costs

In mediation, the most productive conversations often happen when people focus first on listening and understanding.

The barriers to agreement are often found within what the other person is trying to communicate. When both people approach discussions with openness and curiosity, progress is usually faster and more constructive.

Often, it is only by properly understanding another perspective that a workable solution can emerge.

  1. Forgetting that most situations have a solution

People often ask how long resolution will take. The honest answer is that it varies widely. Some matters can be resolved quickly, while others take years.

Over time, unresolved issues can become more complicated and emotionally draining. But with goodwill and the right support, many families can reach solutions that work well enough for everyone involved.

  1. Becoming stuck in anger, guilt or frustration

Many people find that emotional support is one of the most valuable parts of the process. Having space to process feelings can make it easier to stay focused on practical decisions and long-term outcomes.

At Family Law in Partnership we will usually encourage people to access therapeutic or counselling support, in particular through our BACP regulated colleagues.

  1. Waiting too long to get help

It is understandable to hesitate before involving professionals. Legal and therapeutic support can feel costly, both financially and emotionally.

Often trying to resolve everything alone can exhaust the goodwill that still exists between you. Early guidance often helps people move more quickly towards constructive solutions and avoid becoming stuck or drifting further apart in their positions.

Even where couples later continue discussions independently, having the right structure and support at the outset can make the process more productive and less draining.

  1. Losing sight of what matters most

If there is one area where common ground can often be found, it is in wanting the best for your children.

Keeping children’s wellbeing at the centre of discussions can help shift the focus away from conflict and towards practical, constructive solutions. In some situations, Child-Inclusive Mediation can help ensure children’s voices are heard appropriately and sensitively.

Prioritising what children need most often creates the strongest foundation for making decisions together about the future.

The aim is not to achieve a “perfect” outcome. It is to reach a solution that is fair, workable and allows everyone involved to move forward with stability and dignity.

Whether you are at the very beginning of separation, struggling to move discussions forward, or facing a particularly complex situation, Family Law in Partnership can help you understand your options and choose the process that best supports you and your family.

Read more articles by James Pirrie.

Read more articles by Family Law in Partnership.

About James Pirrie

James Pirrie is a Director of Family Law in Partnership, a highly regarded law firm based in London, which specialises in de-escalating conflict in family law.  He is an Arbitrator, Family Solicitor and Mediator accredited in child-inclusive mediation.

James is driven to improve long term outcomes for families who are experiencing separation or divorce.  He is credited with introducing collaborative law to the UK and with changing how children’s needs are addressed during family breakdown through the Parenting after Parting initiative.

You might be interested in

Our Relationship is Over: What Do I Do Now?
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Our Relationship is Over: What Do I Do Now?

Published on
James Pirrie
James Pirrie
Director at
Family Law in Partnership

Let’s not sugar coat it, this question “what do I do now?” (at the moment you know you will separate) is the single most important question you will answer in this whole chapter of your life. There will be a lot of other questions that you will be coming to, but get this one right and you should be able to avoid the unreasonable positioning and exhausting demands of a slow process that will cost eye-watering amounts, to achieve to your best possible outcome.  

Here are my ten top tips from helping clients through this part of their lives for the past forty-something years.

1. Ensure you are safe 

Ensure your safety and the safety of your children.  If there is a risk to this then it will dictate how you address the rest of these tips.

Safety at the end of a relationship is a whole topic on its own and planning for it will depend on your situation.  In controlling relationships, it is likely that a whole range of strategies will have been put in place around you by your prospective ex, with the intention of making it impossible for you to go.  The single most important thing is to reach the realisation that yes you are going to leave – it is then about getting the support to manage your way out of the maze. If you need help to leave safely, there are amazing organisations that can help you manage a safe exit.  Everything follows from this.

2. Manage your emergencies

In the same way, some separations have emergencies – personal safety is the most important.  Others can include:

  • jurisdictional races (where one of you could start proceedings in a different country, you may need to act quickly to ensure your divorce takes place where your needs and those of the children will be met favourably)
  • a child being taken abroad to separate them from you (child abduction)
  • information or assets being hidden or disposed of 
  • your being isolated from funds.

Some of these you can address in part – or at least make easier – but many of them are going to require immediate professional help, probably from a solicitor.

The rest of the “to-dos” are subject to emergencies – sometimes you won’t have time to plan your best path, you will feel bounced around by circumstance. Just carry on trying your best, accepting where you are and planning from there. 

3. Consider couple counselling

If there are no safety concerns, this is a consideration that you should not skate past. I have worked for too many people who have said their ex has come back to them some years down the road saying “I got it wrong – I don’t know what I was thinking- is there a way back for us?”. For me that points to a missed opportunity for some serious conversation around what was not working in the relationship and each person’s capacity for change. Of course, the result may still be that you decide to separate, but talking things through a counsellor is also likely to reassure and make for better progress if you do decide to part. 

4. Be kind if you can

So often, perhaps when people come to me midway through, they seem to be in a terrible situation, which they are finding hard to understand. There might be brutality around disclosure or how the finances are being managed for the interim or how arrangements are being set around the children. It is all a bit destructive and aimless, which is a surprise as they’re decent people. So, what went wrong?  Well usually it is about how things started.  

Actions like deception and adultery matter (see my blog here on this very point) – perhaps not to the professionals who know the courts don’t care, but they really matter to the person being deceived and to their kids when they find out.  Brutal and sharp separations are like throwing a huge slab of concrete into a small pond – the splash and ripples are going to play havoc for a while and in unexpected ways.  Stepping out slowly and gently with empathy respect and understanding, can help everyone get through to the smart choices more quickly.

5. Start early

It follows that planning and starting early is usually a positive too, you can pace things more calmly. You don’t find yourself suddenly desperate that it all has to be sorted by the weekend. (That “I have just had it up to here” moment). It also means that you are less likely to be bounced into the “well I am leaving you” discussion at the worst of times in the heat of an argument.  These things are going to be tough and thinking about how to do it in the best way, in the calm, will pay dividends.

6. Get support

All of that is going to point towards you getting individual support.  So many  people say “I don’t need that fluffy stuff …” or “we are not getting back together”. But that is not what this is about. It is about understanding where your ex is and what they are going through. It is about helping you to think of this from their side to be able to move things on in the best way possible. It is tough.  It is practical. It is also short term and goal-oriented.

Find the right support and you will be challenged to do this well, but also supported to do so.  That’s why I recommend that you get professional support – not just support from your mates or family:

This is the other response to my recommendation of professional expertise is “well I am talking to my friends.” The problem with relying solely on friends and family is that:

  • They care too much and as such, are likely to operate like an echo chamber for you: they want to be supportive and are likely to tell you what they think you want to hear – which is not always what you need to hear
  • They may bring their own unresolved personal issues to the conversation and that is not helpful 
  • They don’t have the training to help you process everything in a constructive way 
  • Their advice is likely to be on the hoof, quick answers without the depth of consideration that is really needed
  • You may find yourself managing your choices to keep them satisfied.

Without meaning to cast aspersions on your inner circle, you are also sharing confidences with them which may well be shared with others. 

I could go on but in essence, therapists are likely to be the most valuable in monetary terms. Find the right one and use them.

7. Think and write

So you know you are going to need to get some advice and guidance (how else are you going to have the anchor of knowing your rights and obligations – how else would you recognise a good deal?). Lawyers charge by time and will read a well-organised briefing way quicker than they can ask questions and you answer them. Many firms will have an information gatherer on their website. If you want to get the most from your time with a lawyer and keep costs time, you would prepare:

  • A balance sheet of where you are now:
    •  who is in the family and who are the relatives and important other people in your lives
    • all the dates and details that are going to be needed such as when the relationship started, was formalised and ended
    • and yes those financial numbers all pinned down so far as known. 
    • In addition there will be descriptions of what is going on – what everyone is like; how are your children doing, pictures etc.  
  • An account of how you got here this is likely to take in your families of origin, education, careers, first homes, challenges and so on
  • And then the quick fire document for a first call: The super brief summary and a clear vision of what you want and what you think are the hurdles to getting there.

Indeed sometimes I think that this last piece of knowing what you are needing is the single most important piece of work that will be in your briefing for the next step.

8. Find the right professional

This can feel like a minefield. There are directories ranking legal professionals, but they may not be your best starting point.  What you are likely to want is that skilled professional whom you trust because they get you and their values resonate with yours, simple as that.  

When you are researching there will be lots of focus on who does what process and your head can spin with the terms likely to be coming at you:  negotiation/ collaborative/ co-operative/ one lawyer/ together/ amicable/ litigation/ mediation/ child inclusion/ hybrid/ integrative, but that shouldn’t be your worry: Your job is to be clear about your needs (those hurdles you identified at stage 7), not the process (which is what the professional brings to accommodate them). It is the professional’s job to show that they have heard you and to explain their recommendation.  If you are convinced, you have the start of your plan. If you are not then say so – if you are not heard, you may not be in the right room so think about moving on now.  

It is why you might do well to choose a professional who is serious about all the different ways of doing things – it will ensure you are presented with all the options. Many lawyers will only have one qualification, permitting them to negotiate your case  with the court as a fall back and the court is the last place most people want to end up.  If your lawyer doesn’t know, isn’t familiar with and doesn’t use collaborative, mediation or arbitration  then just have in mind that these ways that might suit you better will probably not be on the menu for discussion.

9. Be brave …ish

Sitting down to talk with your ex may be absolutely the last thing you want to do, and of course you shouldn’t compromise safety, but for most people, a professionally assisted conversation with a neutral person (likely to be in mediation – but potentially “one lawyer”) is likely to be the fast route to finding the best solution. Your ex is likely to have a view of what they think the outcome should be and they are going to hang onto it until you can show that you have heard them. It is much harder to do this if your discussion is via letters and emails being fired between lawyers from their respective trenches a seeming “safe” distance away from each other.

The right mediator will help you both to manage a safe and productive conversation even in difficult situations. There would be an assessment and  intake process (called “a MIAM”, standing for Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) when you can gather an understanding of what mediation would be like and talk through whether it is for you. In fact, you are required in most situations to have this meeting even if you wanted ultimately to go to court and I would encourage you to enter this meeting with an open mind as there is a lot of flexibility in mediation and other processes which may mean they are better for you.

10. Think kids

So obvious you may say it didn’t need saying. Where you have children, they are likely to be the lens through which all of this is viewed, you will consider your children:

  • when you take steps to start
  • in how you manage the relationship with your ex (because you are usually going to be co-parenting long term so you will not want to lay waste to how you talk to each other)
  • in the choices you make (for example the geography of your homes and family-friendly career-choices)
  • in the timing of any new relationship
  • in how you work out care and decision making: your children are part of each of you, they need safe arrangements to have a relationship with each of you if possible – and ideally each of you supporting the other to be the best parent you can be.

There is a lot to consider and it is all too easy to delay. But whether this relationship is your future or not is for you to decide and in your heart you will know the answer to that (especially if you have been through tip 3).  

If this relationship is not working and can’t be made to work, it is unlikely to be the best example of “adult relationships” for your kids, but beyond this, please don’t become that person I see so regularly who says “now I know about it all, I should have done this a decade ago, it would have been better for everyone.”

Read more articles by James Pirrie.

Read more articles by Family Law in Partnership.

About James Pirrie

James Pirrie is a Director of Family Law in Partnership, a highly regarded law firm based in London, which specialises in de-escalating conflict in family law.  He is an Arbitrator, Family Solicitor and Mediator accredited in child-inclusive mediation.

James is driven to improve long term outcomes for families who are experiencing separation or divorce.  He is credited with introducing collaborative law to the UK and with changing how children’s needs are addressed during family breakdown through the Parenting after Parting initiative.

You might be interested in

How Does the Supreme Court's Judgement in Standish Affect You?
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How Does the Supreme Court’s Judgement in Standish Affect You?

Published on
James Pirrie
James Pirrie
Director at
Family Law in Partnership

The short answer is that Standish affects things a bit – but it probably just confirms what a family solicitor would advise you to do anyway.

The longer answer is that highest court of the land has carried out one of its periodic reviews of how to deal with assets at the end of a marriage. Mr and Mrs Standish had considerable assets, much of it built up by Mr Standish before the marriage. They also had a plan to minimise inheritance tax for their children by putting a big slab of Mr Standish’s money in Mrs Standish’s name. When they split, questions were asked:

  1. Did she keep it? 
  2. Was it shared?
  3. Did Mr Standish get it back?

The answer was C.  

Mr Standish got the money back because it was considered to be his separate property and the intention was never that Mrs Standish should benefit from it. There was also enough marital property to meet Mrs Standish’s ongoing needs, such as accommodation and lifestyle. 

Would this be the same if there were more modest assets to share?

If you don’t have such substantial assets, it is less likely to be as simple as dividing marital property (sometimes referred to as the marital pot).  You may need to dip into each spouse’s separate property to meet needs.  Probably the right way now is: 

  1. First, to think carefully about whether an asset is one person’s “separate property”
  2. Secondly consider whether the assets have become shared – and this is all about intention – and now form part of the marital property
  3. Thirdly, you carry out a “needs” assessment, then adjust any division to ensure that children are provided for and that each spouse has a fair start on the road to independent living.

This approach makes clear that there is no simple “split it all 50:50”.

Looking at those 3 elements in turn:

1) Separate property

This is going to include: 

  • What one person owned before the marriage; or
  • What they were given during the marriage, such as an inheritance

This is different from marital property, which is everything built up by or during the relationship.

It is usually possible to clearly identify property/ assets as one or the other – separate or marital.  Although there are still uncertainties, for example where there have been personal injury awards or lottery wins. 

2) Intention to share formerly separate assets

The second stage is all about intention. You don’t just look at whose name an asset is held in, you focus on the intention.  If you went to Court, a Judge would consider “Do the dealings between you show that you intended to convert what was separate into something that was for you both?” If so, the separate assets are matrimonialised, which means they become joint assets and form part of the marital property. As such they are usually (but not inevitably) going to be shared equally.

This might happen over time because:

  • What was separate property is not really so significant after the passage of time, because other assets have built up and the fact that this asset was separately brought in is not such a big deal
  • These monies have been put into joint funds or otherwise scrambled together and over time that shows that they are intended to be relied on by both of you
  • The money has been put into the family home and lived in over a period of time – and what asset is more central to the marriage partnership than that?

There may be other reasons and some situations will be harder to call. For example, what about a pension or even an ISA – these are not assets that you can put in joint names and there may be disagreement over what was said and what was intended during the relationship. 

3) What is the needs assessment?

Needs is a bit like a picnic: you don’t focus so much on who brought what to the picnic, everyone needs to eat and if there is not enough to go around then you work a way to share what there is to make the best of the situation, usually prioritising younger children.

So here the marital property will be shared first, but if necessary the separate assets will also be shared. This can include future income.

What does this mean for the legal process?

Standish is simply telling us to be disciplined and take the steps in sequence to make sure that the right answer is reached.  We need to:

  1. think about whether an asset is really one person’s separate property or marital property; then
  2. consider whether dividing just the marital property will ensure that children are provided for and that each spouse has a fair start towards independent life

And if not:

  1. dip into the separate assets to meet those needs.

Ultimately the decision in Standish is intended to enable a fairer division of assets on divorce, but some things remain less clear. 

For example, imagine Jo who marries Les who has inherited a substantial 3 bed property. Otherwise, their resources are modest, they each earn well and at similar levels. Two years into the relationship, their marriage fails and they decide to divorce. Has the property that Les inherited become part of the marital pot?  What share of it does Jo get?  

If the main home is pretty much always marital property and if marital property is often divided equally, should Jo get half of the home after only 100 weeks of relationship that led to marriage and ended in divorce? We won’t know for sure until the guidance from the Supreme Court is put into practice in the day-to-day cases.

What does this mean for you?

I would suggest that when you are trying to find your solutions, it will almost always be worthwhile getting an “entitlements analysis” carried out by a legal professional.  This will give you a clear indication of what you may each be entitled to and indeed, need, to move forward with your lives. Some of these tests don’t come naturally and unusual situations will generate unusual answers. You are not usually stuck with the analysis, but it will help to know it before you start trying to agree how you are going to go forward: no-one wants to regret their choices years down the road.

Read more articles by James Pirrie.

Read more articles by Family Law in Partnership.

About James Pirrie

James Pirrie is a Director of Family Law in Partnership, a highly regarded law firm based in London, which specialises in de-escalating conflict in family law.  He is an Arbitrator, Family Solicitor and Mediator accredited in child-inclusive mediation.

James is driven to improve long term outcomes for families who are experiencing separation or divorce.  He is credited with introducing collaborative law to the UK and with changing how children’s needs are addressed during family breakdown through the Parenting after Parting initiative. 

You might be interested in

Divorce Diaries

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Divorce Diaries
James Pirrie
Director at
Family Law in Partnership

We would like to introduce you to the Divorce Diaries website , a support network for anyone going through a family breakdown.

Divorce Diaries is a website with real life accounts of divorce and separation from people who have undergone the breakdown of a relationship, and the truthful accounts of their experiences during the process.

In essence, it brings together advice and insights on divorce and separation from those who have been through it.

In my work as a family lawyer, I see almost daily the uncertainty and isolation that family breakdown can cause.

Our aim in collecting together these divorce stories was to provide a community of former clients providing support to current clients. But we have made the Divorce Diaries freely available to all so that everyone can benefit from the wisdom and experiences of others.

I hope that visitors to the Divorce Diaries website will realise that they’re not alone in facing the challenging issues associated with a relationship breakdown.

The website has collected together over 30 divorce diaries, all from former clients of Family Law in Partnership who, under fictitious names, have shared their stories of separation in the hope of providing support for others who find themselves in a similarly difficult and distressing situation.

Each entry is laid out under sub-headings posed as questions, all answered by each contributor with their own unique insight into separation and divorce.

The site features various family types and many differing circumstances: from men with teenage/adult children, to women with no children, and several other options in between.

Each entry is tagged with keywords which link to related stories and ‘viewpoints’, so the reader is able to gain insight into lots of other peoples’ experiences without feeling as though they are prying; the open and honest nature of each entry encourages empathy and support between the reader and the author whilst maintaining anonymity.

The website includes top tips from our contributors for getting through the divorce and separation process and a list of websites where further help and support can be found. You can also download the collection of divorce diaries in an E-book format to read and refer to at a later stage.

Take a look at the Divorce Diaries website here: www.divorcediaries.co.uk

About James Pirrie

James Pirrie is a director at Family Law in Partnership, a boutique London-based family law firm which brings together lawyers, mediators & therapists.

James is credited with introducing collaborative law to the UK and with changing how children’s needs are addressed during family breakdown through the Parenting after Parting initiative.

You might be interested in