Family mediation
Our experienced mediators can help you reach agreement on issues within the family such as marital disagreements, separations, child custody, finances, probate issues and even conflicts in a family business.
Family mediation solicitor
For many families or couples, working with a mediator can help to resolve issues in a more amicable way, where possible. At Tees the family law department includes people who are both experienced mediators and also highly qualified and experienced solicitors.
What are the benefits of family mediation?
There are three main benefits:
- it can help to keep things amicable; this not always the case, but the process of mediation focuses on good communication and understanding from everyone in the family involved in the dispute and that can support a more amicable solution being achieved.
- final decisions are made by you rather than for you. If you go to court to sort out your issues a judge will make the decisions, which will then be imposed, whether you like them or not.
- it’s often faster and cheaper than other options. Resolving matters through the courts or solicitors can take months, whereas mediation can take weeks.
If you are married and considering divorce, our mediators also offer divorce mediation.
We’re here to help
If you want to find out more about how a mediator may be able to help, please give us a call. Our mediators are based in:
- Cambridgeshire: Cambridge
- Essex: Brentwood, Chelmsford, and Saffron Walden
- Hertfordshire: Bishop's Stortford and Royston
Family mediation FAQs
Mediation is when an independent and professionally trained mediator helps you work out an agreement with your former partner about issues such as:
- Childcare arrangements
- Finances- including pensions, dividing your assets and financial support
- Houses and property – such as your family home, or buy to let investments
In the first session known as a MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) you will have an opportunity to meet the mediator individually and the process will be explained to you. After you have both attended an individual meeting, there will be a first joint meeting with the mediator. They will then get you and your partner to talk in a constructive way, and encourage you to start looking at options and ideas. In this way they are often able to help you find a workable solution, and one that can become part of a legal document.
A mediator's role is not to advise the parties, and you may benefit from independent legal advice alongside mediation.
