Family Mediation after Divorce or Separation

Our Family Mediators have been specially trained to help couples sort out potential areas of conflict and offer a supportive environment to resolve their difficulties. Our Mediators remain neutral throughout discussions and do not give legal advice, though they are able to provide legal information, support and guidance.

As our AroundTheTable Mediators are also experienced solicitors or barristers practising in Divorce and Family Law, they are particularly well placed to help couples understand how to structure an agreement so that the process of making their arrangements legally binding is as straightforward as possible.

Not everyone is ready for Mediation at the same stage of separating, so our Mediators will find out whether the process is suitable. This is often done at a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting [MIAM]. Our Mediators will provide full information about the process and any fees if public funding is not available.

The courts now ask that mediation is considered prior to an application being made to court. Our Mediators are able to provide the appropriate certificate to confirm attendance at one of these meetings..

Our Mediators are there to help in an impartial and balanced way. They will speak to each of the couple so as to ensure that they both understand the process and that it is suitable. Generally it is much better to do this at a meeting face to face.

If Mediation is considered suitable our Mediators will arrange further meetings and are able to help couples resolve wide ranging difficulties whether to do with communication, exploring the best arrangements for the children, divorce, helping with the process of exchanging financial information or looking at possible options for the future. Our Mediators if appropriate may suggest other help, whether for the children or financial. Couples are still able to seek their own legal or financial advice from their solicitors. Indeed such advice is often helpful and complements the mediation process.

Once an agreed way forward has been reached, the Mediator will prepare a record of the terms of the proposed settlement together with a summary of the financial information, which will be sent to each person to discuss with their solicitor. After they have both received legal advice, the lawyers then convert the agreed terms into a legally binding document and carry out any work to put the terms of the agreement into effect.