Separation & Divorce Mediation London and Kent

Contact us on 020 8315 7460 for a confidential discussion
to see how we can best help you.

Separation & Divorce Mediation London and Kent

Mediation: reaching agreement following divorce and separation.

The South East London Family Mediation Bureau (SELFMB) is available to help you reach agreements related to matters about children, finance and property.

In almost all cases confidentiality can be maintained throughout, thus avoiding public exposure of personal problems.  In most cases an agreement reached by mediation will last longer than a decision imposed by the court.

What takes place in mediation?

Parents will be invited to attend a pre-mediation meeting (separate time will be provided for each parent.) At this initial meeting what happens in mediation will be explained. Parents then meet together with an accredited and experienced mediator who will help them to make decisions regarding the arrangements for children and / or finance and property.

 

Our Mediators

All Bureau mediators are accredited by the Family Mediation Council (FMCA) and function within its Mediation Code of Practice.

 

Advantages of mediation compared to court proceedings:

  • Parents retain control of decisions which affect the children.
  • Children benefit because of reduced conflict.
  • It can be done quickly: it may be completed in days rather than months compared to litigation and court process.
  • Costs are likely to be far less than those of lengthy court proceedings.

 

Find out more

Contact us on 020 8315 7460 for a confidential discussion to see how we can best help you.

Find out more

Mediation FAQ's


Answer

There are a number of ways of dealing with family matters without having to make an application to court.

  • A divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership can only be granted by a court but this can be done without actually going to a hearing at court.
  • For many people, sorting out arrangements for children and agreeing how to split property and finances can be done without involving a court at all.

If you can’t work things out between you or have a family dispute, you will be expected to try to sort it out using mediation before going to court.

Answer

Contact a mediator as soon as you need help sorting things out. Even if you’ve been separated for a while, or if your case has already gone to court, mediation can still help to resolve things.

You can’t usually take your case to court until you find out if mediation can help you first. If you can’t show that you’ve considered it, the judge may stop or delay proceedings until you have.

Once you’ve found a mediator, the next step is to attend a first meeting with them to find out if it’s right for you. Sometimes this is called a Mediation Information & Assessment Meeting (MIAM).

If you think you need legal advice to help you during mediation, this can be arranged at any time during the process. You might be able to get legal aid to pay for this.

If your case is not suitable for mediation you will still need to show the judge you’ve considered it by filling in the relevant court form.

Answer

We charge per session (not per hour) and for mediation sessions we apply a ‘sliding scale’. See our Fees page.

At your first (MIAM) meeting, the mediator will be able to give you an estimate of how much mediation is likely to cost, based on their understanding of what it is you hope to deal with. They will also help you check if you can get legal aid to help pay for it.


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Contact us on 020 8315 7460 for a confidential discussion

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COVID-19 & Appointments – Low cost family mediation

If you are experiencing difficulties as a result of COVID-19 we maybe able to help with the cost of mediation through our National Lottery COVID Fund. Call 020 8315 7460 to discuss. 

 

We are now able to offer a limited number of face-to-face meetings at our Bromley office as well as Zoom appointments for MIAM meetings and mediations. Zoom is a video meeting App which you can download for free onto your phone/laptop or other device. Find out more here.

Mediation by video meeting is a recognised approach, approved by the FMC (Family Mediation Council). We have used Zoom for MIAM meetings for several years and we have now used it successfully to help many clients to reach agreements during the lockdown period.

We have conducted a COVID-19 risk assessment and have introduced a range of measures to protect clients who prefer to visit the office from the risks of COVID 19.

Please call on 020 8315 7460 to find out more or if would like to arrange an appointment.