Family mediation is an amicable alternative to the court process for separating couples. It provides impartial support from a trained mediator, to help you reach an accord on all the issues that matter to you both: from the division of your money and assets to decisions on child arrangements.
Separating from your spouse or long-term partner can be a stressful and difficult time in anyone's life. With so much uncertainty surrounding your lives, and emotions often running high on both sides, it can become impossible to sit down and discuss important issues with each other.
That's when we will often recommend that you consider family mediation. This involves working with a trained and completely neutral mediator, who can help you to resolve a host of the most difficult but important issues you may face.
A family mediator is instructed by both sides and is completely impartial, which means they will never take sides or make judgements. Their role is to help find a way forward that works for both sides and hopefully prevent the need to go to court.
When can family mediation be used?
Family mediation can be a powerful tool in helping to resolve conflict and find a constructive and mutually beneficial way through challenging times, without the need to take legal action in the courts.
A mediator can help you and your family through a range of difficult circumstances, including:
Arrangements for your children following a divorce or separation to decide who they should live with and how much time they should spend with the other parent
Child maintenance payments
Division of property, savings, debts and pensions
Civil partnership dissolution
Could family mediation help me?
Just as importantly, family mediation sessions can help you to work through important issues such as arrangements for children to maintain contact with grandparents and other members of their extended family.
What’s more, if you apply to the court to hear your case, the judge is likely to refuse to hear it unless you have at least considered mediation first.
If you are in the process of separating from your partner and would like advice on mediation, call our family mediation lawyers on 0330 041 5869 or contact us online and we will call you.
What are the benefits of family mediation?
Family mediation has the potential to bring a wealth of benefits, including the chance to start your future relationship as you mean to go on. When you have children together, the chances are that there will be many family occasions which you will both attend and decisions you will have to make together, and family mediation can help you to find a way of listening to each other's needs and reaching necessary compromises. It's also important to bear in mind that family mediation is:
Less stressful than court proceedings, which can be confrontational and cause tensions between you and your ex to escalate
Less damaging and upsetting for any children who are involved
Considerably quicker than court proceedings
Able to provide you and your ex more control over how your issues are resolved. Your mediator will help you to find a solution that works for both of you.
Flexible, as agreements made through the process of mediation can be altered should your circumstances change.
The best solicitors to fight your corner! I struggled with a nasty unmarried couple dispute alone for over a year before biting the bullet and paying for proper legal support. I had one previous experience with a cheaper less well-known solicitor and I just felt completely let down and not a priority. But with Slater and Gordon, from start to finish, I felt supported 100% and valued.
B L (family and personal matters case)
Matters were dealt with efficiently with a view to keeping costs to a realistic level and I am well satisfied with the final settlement she managed to achieve on my behalf.
J B (family and personal matters case)
For anyone needing help with family issues I could not recommend Slater and Gordon highly enough. I always had the feeling I had the best looking after my interests and they certainly didn't disappoint.
C I (family and personal matters case)
We believe that seeking family mediation is a desirable course of action whenever disputes arise over things like child arrangements, property or money. Just as importantly, the sooner you seek family mediation, the less chance there is of disputes getting out of hand and becoming intractable.
As we mentioned above, judges may refuse to hear some court cases if you can't show that you have at least considered mediation before going down that route.
Having said that, even if you and your partner or ex have been separated for a long time, and have already been to court, mediation can still be a very good idea. The atmosphere is less highly charged than in a courtroom, the objective is to reach agreement rather than simply to win, and an experienced mediator is there to help you both, in the most impartial way possible.
Why choose Slater and Gordon’s family mediation lawyers?
We know that every family is unique which is why we carefully tailor our advice to suit individual families' needs and strive to secure the best outcome for you. Slater and Gordon's team of family lawyers have the empathy and the expertise you need.
Led by our head of family practice, Georgina Chase, our family law team has received recognition and numerous accolades from the legal industry. Georgina herself is ranked in the independent legal directory Chambers and Partners, and many of our team are recognised in the Legal 500.
We are proud members of Resolution, an organisation of family justice professionals committed to promoting a constructive approach to family issues and have office nationwide so we’re able to bring our expertise to your doorstep.
We are an award winning law firm and have a dedicated team of family solicitors to advise and guide you – no matter how complex your situation may be.
Affordability and advice
We offer affordable, expert legal advice on divorce and child arrangements. Book a consultation for clear guidance and next steps. Our assessment helps you understand your situation and make informed decisions. Consultation charged at £150 for 45 minutes.
Tailored advice
We understand that family situations differ – so we are able to provide tailored advice and guidance to suit your individual needs.
Local access
We are a national law firm, with legal experts available locally across the UK. Meetings can be arranged via telephone or video call, to suit your requirements.
The length of time family mediation can take varies significantly. It will often depend on the issues being discussed, how many there are, their complexity, and how much opinions on either side differ from one another. In some cases, mediation may last only a few weeks, but it can often take a few months to finalise agreements.
Should I get legal advice before mediation?
It is strongly recommended that you get independent legal advice before you attend family mediation. While a mediator will never look to undermine your position, they also cannot give advice to one side or the other in the interest of impartiality. It can be crucial, therefore, to speak to a specialist family mediation lawyer before attending mediation sessions to get a better understanding of your own legal position, and how best to approach the sessions.
Where an agreement is reached in family mediation, the mediator will draft this into a Memorandum of Understanding, which can then be made legally binding by a court if you and your ex-partner both agree.
Where you have not been able to reach an agreement, you may wish to pursue the issue further by taking legal action in the courts.
The best solicitors to fight your corner! I struggled with a nasty unmarried couple dispute alone for over a year before biting the bullet and paying for proper legal support. I had one previous experience with a cheaper less well-known solicitor and I just felt completely let down and not a priority. But with Slater and Gordon, from start to finish, I felt supported 100% and valued. B L (family and personal matters case)
Matters were dealt with efficiently with a view to keeping costs to a realistic level and I am well satisfied with the final settlement she managed to achieve on my behalf. J B (family and personal matters case)
For anyone needing help with family issues I could not recommend Slater and Gordon highly enough. I always had the feeling I had the best looking after my interests and they certainly didn't disappoint. C I (family and personal matters case)