Family Mediation Support Solicitors

A class act

Legal 500, 2018/19

Mediation lets you negotiate and resolve family law disputes out of court and is often quicker and cheaper. Our solicitors can support you the whole way with our family mediation support service. Get a 30-minute meeting with us to learn if mediation is right for you and to find out more about the ways in which we can support you through the mediation process.

You can resolve a wide variety of family law issues through mediation and it’s becoming more and more popular with separating couples. With court delays now common in the UK, handling divorce, separation, and financial settlements out-of-court is more attractive than ever.

There are different types of mediation, but all involve an impartial specialist (a mediator) helping you to agree a resolution that you’re both satisfied with. You can even go through mediation without seeing or speaking to the other person at all.

You may choose mediation as an option for many reasons:

You have more control over the process and negotiations
You can tailor the process to your own needs and circumstances
It's often much quicker - mediation can usually reach a resolution in six months
It’s often cheaper than going to court
You avoid the emotional stress of being in court
It can help minimise disruption for children or other family members
It can help maintain a good relationship with ex-partners.

But it’s important to get the right help and advice before you start mediation. If negotiations break down, you may end up with a lengthy and expensive court case after all.

Our family law solicitors know how hard divorces and disputes can be, and offer a mediation support service to help you find a successful resolution. We’re known for being caring and compassionate, but also for our no-nonsense and firm approach to negotiation.

Mediation is all about you managing your case your own way – not how lawyers or courts want to do it. We’ll support you as you make your own choices and achieve your goals.

Our specialist solicitors can advise you whether mediation is a good fit for your situation in a no-obligation 30-minute consultation.

Call us on 0800 056 4110 to find out more, or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Mediation Support Service & Consultation

Mediation has many benefits but it’s more likely to succeed if you have the right legal support behind you.

A 30-minute consultation with one of our family law solicitors is the best place to start. We’ll discuss your situation and your options, and help you decide if mediation is the right approach.

If you decide to go ahead with mediation, you can then benefit from our cost-effective mediation support service. You’ll get expert legal advice on all aspects of your negotiations and strategic guidance to help you secure the outcome you want.

Our mediation support service includes:

Advice on the mediation process and all relevant areas of law, including arrangements for children and financial matters
Review and analysis of relevant documents, helping you get the right information and ask the right questions
Helping you put forward and effectively negotiate proposals, empowering you to get the most out of mediation
Coaching and reference material for each mediation session, so you’re emotionally and practically prepared at all times
Strategic advice and support.

Call 0800 056 4110 to book your 30-minute mediation support consultation today.

Divorce Mediation

Mediation is one of several alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods that you can use if you’re going through a divorce or separation. Collaborative divorce and arbitration are two other out-of-court options.

One main benefit of mediation is that it helps to maintain an amicable or workable relationship with your ex-partner while you’re going through the process of getting divorced. This is especially important if there are children involved as mediation can make the divorce easier for them too.

Our solicitors have extensive knowledge of all forms of out-of-court processes and will advise if mediation is right for you and your family. We’ll support and guide you as you make the key decisions during negotiations, so you have the best shot of agreeing a settlement which is best for you and your family.

Mediation for Separated Parents

Disputes can still arise once you and your ex-partner have divorced or separated. Mediation is an effective way of resolving these disputes and negotiating resolutions too.

Financial settlements and arrangements for children are two key topics where disputes can happen for separated parents. Situations change and it may be that your original divorce settlement or separation agreement is no longer suitable. Disputes can also come up if one half of the former couple doesn’t keep to their end of the agreement.

Mediation for separated parents involves an impartial mediator helping you and your ex-partner negotiate a resolution. And we can give you the expert legal support you need.

Financial Mediation

Financial settlements are often the trickiest part of a divorce, particularly for high net worth individuals and those with international assets and properties. You can divorce without a financial settlement, but a settlement will protect you from future claims and prevent disputes over shared assets.

Financial mediation can be an excellent way to manage these difficult negotiations. Reaching a financial settlement depends on both ex-partners co-operating and being honest and open about their finances. The mediation process is a good way to foster this co-operation.

It’s also possible – and in some cases necessary – to mediate a financial settlement and resolve other issues (such as arrangements for children) in court.

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Nicola Walker Partner Meet the team

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Mediation - More Information

[Nicola] is extremely wise and gives very good advice to her clients. No case is too complex for her and she has the knack of calling cases correctly.

Chambers & Partners, 2022

Family Law Podcast

"Our mediation support service is there to provide something different and something extra. It's there to provide support and help in the background." Nicola Walker, Partner

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Mediation?

Mediation involves using an impartial third party (a mediator) to help you and your ex-partner to resolve or negotiate family law issues out of court. The process can take place face-to-face, or it can be arranged so that you don’t see or speak to your ex-partner at all.

Advantages of using mediation include:

It's typically much quicker
It is often cheaper
It can be less stressful
It can be beneficial if there are children involved
It can help create a good working relationship between you and your ex-partner.

Specially trained mediators can also talk to your children to ensure that the process takes their wishes and feelings into account during the process.

If you want to find out more about our mediation support service, or any of the other out-of-court divorce options, call 0800 056 4110, or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

What Types Of Mediation Are There?

There are three different types of mediation – you can still use mediation even if you don’t want to speak to or see your ex-partner:

Face to face mediation
You, your ex-partner, your lawyers and the mediator will discuss the issues between you face-to-face, to try and reach an agreement that’s fair for both of you.
Shuttle mediation
You and your ex-partner sit in different rooms, and the mediator will move between the different rooms to speak to you individually. This method avoids the need to see or speak to your ex-partner, and is often used in cases where there has previously been domestic violence.
Tandem mediation
There will be two mediators from different specialisms – for example often a legally-qualified mediator and one with a therapeutic background – to give a broader perspective.

Our specialist lawyers can help you decide which mediation option is best for you. Call 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

How Long Does Divorce Mediation Take – Is It Longer Than Going To Court?

Mediation can be quicker than going through the courts, not to mention cheaper. Couples often resolve divorces through mediation within six months, but divorce through the courts can take anything up to two years.

A lot of couples find it difficult to communicate after the breakdown of a relationship. Trying to reach an agreement over finances or children can become a lengthy process.

Mediation can be quicker than trying to negotiate an agreement between yourselves because the mediator will give structure to the negotiations. They’ll also make sure you have covered all of the elements you need to.

However, if you use mediation to try and agree a financial settlement, it’s important that you and your ex-partner are completely honest about your circumstances. If mediation breaks down, then you may be left with no better option than going through the court process anyway. It’s critical to seek legal advice on your options at the start of your divorce, to see which option is best for you.

If you'd like to find out more about whether divorce mediation is right for you, please call us on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

I live in Scotland, can Irwin Mitchell help me?

Our expert family law team works with a number of trusted partners to help our clients with family law issues in Scotland.

We’ll be your point of contact and manage the entire process for you throughout. You’ll get frequent progress updates and we’ll break down any legal jargon into plain English so you’re always in the loop.

To find out more about how we can help, give us a call on 0345 604 4911 or contact us online.

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