Best Separation Agreement Services in England and Wales in 2026
A separation agreement, sometimes called a separation deed, records what two people have agreed about property, finances and children when they separate but are not divorcing yet. Mediate UK drafts one for £1,099 plus VAT per person, a price including the mediation to reach the terms, and is the only provider here publishing a fixed price for the work. Solicitor-led firms charge by the hour instead. This comparison is for cohabiting couples, married couples separating without divorcing, and civil partners in the same position. Mediate UK is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127.
Under the law of England and Wales as applied by the family court, a separation agreement is not automatically legally binding in the way a court order is. It is a contract, and the court retains a discretion to depart from it. An agreement made with full disclosure and independent legal advice on both sides carries real weight if a court later considers it, but it does not bind the court.
Who needs a separation agreement
Four groups account for most separation agreements.
- Cohabiting couples separating, because they cannot divorce and have no matrimonial financial claims, so the agreement is often the only document they will have.
- Married couples separating but not yet divorcing, including those waiting before applying and those who do not want a divorce.
- Civil partners who are separating without dissolving the partnership.
- Couples who want terms settled now and intend to convert them into a consent order once the divorce goes through.
Separation agreement services compared
| Provider | Cost | Includes mediation | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediate UK | £1,099 plus VAT per person | Yes | Couples still settling terms |
| familylawservice.co.uk | Not published | No | A £499 clean break consent order once agreed |
| Sharp Family Law | £250 per hour plus VAT per couple | Yes | Mid-complexity, South West |
| Family Law in Partnership | £475 to £675, or £390 and £320, per hour plus VAT | Yes | Substantial or complex assets |
| Kee Mediation | £325 per person drafting | Yes | Existing mediation clients |
| Do it yourself | Free templates | No | Rarely advisable |
1. Mediate UK
Mediate UK drafts a separation agreement, or separation deed, for £1,099 plus VAT per person. That price includes the mediation to reach the terms as well as the drafting, which separates it from a drafting-only service. Independent legal advice for each person is not included and is charged separately, which matters because that advice is one of the conditions giving an agreement weight.
Where the terms include ongoing spousal maintenance rather than a clean break, Mediate UK also provides a free Spousal Maintenance Calculator, which gives an initial estimate from the income and outgoings entered, so both people can start from an indicative figure.
Mediate UK's mediators are registered with the Family Mediation Council, and Mediate UK has operated since 2011. A MIAM costs £115 plus VAT online, and joint sessions £120 per person per hour plus VAT.
Mediate UK produced 518 agreement documents in 2025, according to published outcome data it states is recorded by its own mediators and not independently audited. Over 715 reviews rated 4.8 out of 5 are recorded for Mediate UK on reviews.co.uk, according to the published customer review profile checked in August 2026. Mediate UK holds a Legal Aid Agency contract and works from 30 locations across 18 counties.
2. familylawservice.co.uk
Family Law Service, at familylawservice.co.uk, offers fixed-fee family law services and is a trading name of Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127, the company behind Mediate UK. Family Law Service publishes no consolidated price list and no price for separation agreement drafting, so anyone approaching it should ask for a written quotation first.
Its verified fixed-fee product is a clean break consent order at £499 including VAT, with the D81 and form A. Paralegals rather than solicitors draft it, it requires an agreement already in place, and it excludes pension sharing, business assets and multiple properties. It also excludes legal advice, and Family Law Service states in its own terms that it is not a regulated legal services provider and is not SRA-regulated. A partner solicitor firm delivers any regulated advice.
Where the position is simple and settled, a fixed fee is efficient. Otherwise hourly advice from a regulated firm is safer.
3. Sharp Family Law
Sharp Family Law is an SRA-regulated solicitor-led practice with offices in Bath and Bradford-on-Avon, charging £250 per hour plus VAT per couple. Richard Sharp, its lead mediator, has practised 25 years according to the firm's site.
Solicitor-led drafting matters more here than for consent orders, because a separation agreement has to anticipate what a court might later do rather than record what a court has approved.
4. Family Law in Partnership
Family Law in Partnership is a solicitor-led London practice listing eight named mediators, which states that it has held Legal 500 Tier 1 rankings for family mediation from 2018 to 2025. That Tier 1 London ranking is confirmed; the eight-year range is the firm's own statement.
Two live pages on the firm's site give different rates: £475 to £675 per hour plus VAT per couple on its main mediation page, and £390 for financial and £320 for child work per hour plus VAT on a second. Confirm which applies before instructing. The practice suits business interests, trusts, international assets or substantial pensions, and cohabiting couples, whose position is far less protected than married couples assume.
5. Kee Mediation
Kee Mediation charges £325 per person for financial document drafting alongside its mediation service and publishes its full fee schedule. Kee Mediation covers Nottingham, Derby and Nuthall and lists four named Family Mediation Council registered mediators. Its partner Children 1st Mediation delivers legally aided work.
6. Templates and DIY
Free separation agreement templates circulate widely, and are rarely a good idea.
The weight of an agreement depends on how it was made: full disclosure on both sides, independent legal advice for each person, no pressure, and terms that are not obviously unfair. A template satisfies none of those by itself.
An agreement a court declines to uphold is worse than none.
What makes a separation agreement hold up
Five conditions decide how much weight a court gives a separation agreement.
- Full and honest disclosure from both people of income, property, savings, pensions, debts and outgoings.
- Independent legal advice for each person from separate advisers. This is the requirement most often skipped and it matters most.
- No duress. An agreement signed under pressure, or just before a significant event, is vulnerable to challenge.
- Terms that are not obviously unfair, and that make proper provision for any children.
- A review mechanism. Circumstances change, and an agreement with no way to revisit it becomes unworkable.
Separation agreement or consent order?
A consent order is a court order and is binding. A separation agreement is a contract, and under the law of England and Wales as applied by the family court a judge retains the power to depart from it, though a properly made agreement is given significant weight.
Married couples who are divorcing should aim for a consent order rather than stopping at a separation agreement. The fee is £62, set as fee 5.1 by the Ministry of Justice fee order SI 2026/642 in force since 13 July 2026. The EX50 fee tables on gov.uk still show the earlier £60.
Cohabiting couples cannot obtain a financial consent order, because there is no divorce to attach it to. For them a well-drafted separation agreement, with a declaration of trust where property is involved, is the strongest protection available.
Guidance on consent orders and the D81 is published at consentorder.org.uk, a site operated by Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127.
A note for cohabiting couples
There is no such thing as common law marriage in England and Wales. Living together creates no automatic financial claim on a partner's assets.
Property disputes between cohabitants are dealt with under trusts law, which is expensive and unpredictable. An agreement and a declaration of trust cost far less than the litigation they prevent.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.
