'Divorce Without Pain ' : The Model

What we do?

We assist you with all of the issues that arise from separation, divorce or the breakdown of civil partnership: financial arrangements, arrangements for the children and wider planning arrangements for your family.

Put simply, we facilitate a settlement of your dispute, similar to going to court, but at a fraction of the cost, in a fraction of the time, and with a fraction of the stress.

Divorce Without Pain provides a bespoke service based on simple modules, generally conducted online. This way, you control and limit what you spend.

We facilitate:

• financial arrangements following divorce, partnership breakdown, and probate issues - sorting out what will happen to the home, property and other assets - and dealing with maintenance.
• arrangements for children, including where a child will live, and contact arrangements for parents and grandparents.

Who we are?

We are a group of specialist legal and facilitation practitioners and e-mediators who are used to working closely with the family courts. We are all accredited facilitators / arbitrators and work as a co-operative. Most of us have worked as barristers or solicitors.

How we work?

We work in partnership with both of you. Each referral receives a 'designated guide', who will guide you both. Your guide will come up with practical ideas which generally result in agreement on most, if not all issues. We are known to, and trusted by the courts and work hand-in-hand with them.

• We offer a cost-free, unhurried telephone conversation about your case. This is to give you information about 'the DWP Co-Operative', discuss what you are seeking and how we can help you, and to point you in the right direction for further help, or to arrange a meeting with you.
• At the first meetings with each of you (conducted online), we record all the facts about your case, and check to see that you are happy to engage with DWP. Here, each of you tell us in detail about the problems as you see them, and we can identify the options to move things on.
• Once the facilitator has all of the facts, we ensure that information is exchanged and shared, and that you are both on an equal footing. At this point we will identify the detailed options specific to your needs and wishes.
• We aim to bring about a settlement with which you are both content. If this is achievable, we will set out the agreement in a settlement document which can be filed with the court if you wish, or simply retained as a binding agreement of your dispute, bringing the case to an end.
• If we haven't been able to get to an agreement, we arrange a joint meeting through online video conferencing where the facilitator works with you together and separately towards a settlement. Here we are over 80% successful in reaching agreements. The agreement will be prepared and agreed by each party.
• The courts will uphold your agreement unless there are exceptional circumstances to depart from it (see S v S (2014) EWHC Fam).

Why use Divorce Without Pain?

• The courts want you to use this process and have endorsed the scheme.
• This process can be conducted wholly online.
• We work with your solicitors if you have one, or can deal you on your own without a solicitor if you wish. This way you control what you spend.
• We work with both parties to focus on 'court-type settlements'. We minimise conflict.
• You have the service of a single, experienced, dedicated, fair and impartial practitioner who stays with you both throughout the process.
• We do not charge hourly rates. Pricing is in simple, transparent modules. We contain rather than maintain cost.
• We work towards the type of compromise that best meets your needs in a way the court will approve.
• Our facilitation online meeting generally takes place on a specific day (using the commercial model), as opposed to a 'drip feed' series of face-to-face meetings over several weeks.
• Where settlement of all of the issues is not possible, we offer the chance of a binding private arbitration of outstanding issues.

Family Finance Modules : a guide                       

We help you to make sensible financial arrangements following separation, divorce or partnership breakdown. With over 30 years of experience of court outcomes we will guide you to a settlement that the courts will approve, should you wish this.

Module 1

·         Individual telephone contact with each of you separately;

·         Individual Zoom, Skype or Facetime meetings with each of you;

·         Preparation of chronologies, asset schedules, and position statements;

·         Guidance on reaching agreement on assets;

·         Preparation of joint outline of issues - or settlement agreement if you can agree.

Module 2 - if you have not settled in Module 1

·     A facilitated video conference meeting with both of you (to include your solicitors where appropriate) to deal with the issues between you and to reach agreement and settlement;

·     Preparation of a binding settlement agreement, or if no settlement, a Schedule of Outstanding Issues.

Module 3 - alternative to Module 2

·    An online arbitration meeting to determine a settlement. 
.     Preparation of a binding written, reasoned award.

Children Modules: a guide                  

We will guide you in relation to residence and contact arrangements which are most suitable for you and your family.

Module 1

·     Individual telephone contact with each of you separately;

·     Individual Zoom, Skype or Facetime meetings with each of you

·     Preparation of parenting plans: see free parenting plan;

·     Guidance on further information needed;

·     Joint outline of issues or settlement agreement.

Module 2 - if you have not settled in Module 1

·     A  facilitated conference meeting with both of you (to include your solicitors where appropriate) to deal with the issues between you and to reach agreement and settlement;

·     Preparation of settlement agreement, or if no settlement, a Schedule of Outstanding Issues.

Module 3 - alternative to Module 2

·    An arbitration meeting to determine a settlement. 
.     Preparation of a binding written, reasoned award.

For the Children modules: where both parties agree to this, it is frequently possible to move straight to Module 2, and many clients prefer this cost-saving approach. Whether this is possible will depend on the particular issues of your case.