Family Mediation

A Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) is a short initial meeting with an accredited mediator that you must attend before applying to court for most family matters. The mediator explains how mediation works, assesses whether it’s suitable, and invites both parties to mediate where appropriate. MIAMs are required by law before most children and financial court applications, with limited exemptions for cases involving domestic abuse or urgency. We offer MIAMs promptly and can often schedule them within a few days of your initial contact.

Attending a MIAM is compulsory before applying to court for most children and financial matters, but taking part in full mediation is voluntary. If either party decides mediation isn’t suitable after the MIAM, they can proceed to court. Exemptions can apply where there’s been domestic abuse, where the matter is urgent, or where the other party refuses to attend. The mediator confirms at the MIAM whether an exemption applies to your situation.

An introductory session or MIAM with our team is £120 plus VAT per person. A one-and-a-half hour mediation session costs £160 plus VAT per person. The number of sessions needed varies from case to case. Mediation remains significantly cheaper than contested court proceedings in almost all cases.

If mediation doesn’t produce a full agreement, you can still apply to court. The mediator provides a form confirming your attendance, which satisfies the MIAM requirement for a court application. What’s discussed in mediation sessions is confidential and cannot be used in court. Mediation still has value even where full agreement isn’t reached. Many couples resolve some issues and narrow the remaining disputes, reducing the scope and cost of any court proceedings that follow.

Not in all cases. Where there’s a history of domestic abuse or a significant power imbalance, standard joint mediation may not be appropriate. The mediator assesses this at the MIAM stage and advises accordingly. Shuttle mediation, where the mediator moves between separate rooms, may be suitable in some circumstances. Where mediation isn’t appropriate, the domestic abuse exemption may allow you to apply directly to court without completing a MIAM.

A MIAM can usually be arranged within about a week of first contact, and full mediation typically involves one to four joint sessions of around 90 minutes. More complex financial cases may take longer, especially where property or pension valuations, or other third-party financial information, are needed before sessions can progress.

Not automatically. Agreements reached in mediation may be recorded in a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out what has been agreed but is not itself legally binding. To make the agreement enforceable, it needs to be converted into a consent order by a court. Your solicitors draft the consent order based on the Memorandum of Understanding and submit it for court approval. Once approved by a judge, it has the same legal force as any other court order. We guide clients through this step to ensure agreements are properly protected.

Mediation offers people an opportunity to communicate with one another with an experienced lawyer/mediator with the view of addressing issues and disputes following separation. Problems to sort out might include arrangements for children, housing, money, pensions and so on. Mediation can be helpful at any stage. Your relationship might be as former partners, parents, or as a grandparent.