Sutton Family Mediation

Once the individuals have made their decisions the Mediator will assist them in working through whether they are practical. The Mediator can then draft documents that may be taken to an independent Solicitor, where, if the parties choose, they can be put into a draft order that can be made binding.

The number of sessions depends upon the issues, at this service we are very keen to keep appointments to a minimum. We work in a very solution focused manner to keep costs down. If there are financial issues the Mediator may see you for around two or three sessions, but for issues only involving children it will more commonly be only one or two. The Mediator will work with the parties at a pace that they can manage. Completed mediation usually takes anything from 2 weeks to 4 months.

Mediation is free for anyone who is eligible for legal aid (you can check out your own eligibility on the ‘Useful Links’ page). The Mediator will make an assessment at the first meeting to determine each party’s eligibility. If a party is not eligible for legal aid then that party pays separately on an hourly rate, this will be fully explained before Mediation begins or contact us for more information. In any event mediation usually costs less than a tenth of the cost of a court battle, and the feedback we have is that we are a highly cost-effective service.

Legal advice can still be a very important part of the process of divorce or separation and the Mediator will always recommend that before proposals are documented the parties each receive independent legal advice. The Mediator will be able to provide the individuals with information as to the legal process and the factors that they should be giving regard to, however the Mediator will not personally advise the individuals.

At the first individual meeting the Mediator will ask you some questions to try and understand the dynamics of your particular relationship. Mediation can help enormously with communication, however it is not always appropriate but as long as no-one is at risk of harm the mediator will provide the option of meeting in separate room from your ex-partner if absolutely necessary. At this service we find the model of ‘shuttling between clients’ extremely effective.