Mediation
What is family mediation?
When a relationship breaks down a separation can be an emotional and costly process. Mediation offers participants the opportunity to engage in flexible, proactive and cost effective way to discuss arrangements regarding separation, children, finances, property and anything else they may wish to discuss.
Mediation encourages and empowers those involved to be able to make their own decisions, and it is widely recognised agreements reached at mediation are more likely to be long lasting compared to decisions enforced on parties by a court.
Family Mediation
A neutral and professionally trained third party will assist you in having discussions and work towards reaching an agreement regarding arrangements for children, the division of property and anything else you wish to discuss.
Mediation allows discussions to take place in a safe and neutral location, with those involved being able to speak freely, openly and honesty without judgement, with the mediator ensuring any conversations remain focused and respectful.
The mediator will assess whether mediation is suitable, and if so arrange an initial information meeting with each person involved individually, often referred to as a MIAM / Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting. At this meeting there will be the opportunity to explain the mediation process, identify the issues to be discussed and answer any questions you may have.
After the initial mediation the mediator will then invite you to a joint meeting where discussions can take place. Anything discussed at mediation is confidential, giving those involved a safe and confidential space to speak freely.
The mediator may assist in an exchange of financial disclosure or other documents or information to allow discussions to take place.
If an agreement is reached at mediation the mediator will prepare and provide documents setting out the terms of any agreement and financial disclosure. This could include a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Open Financial Summary (OFS) and / or Parenting Plan.
The mediator cannot make decisions for you, and cannot offer personal legal advice, as their role is to remain neutral and impartial. The mediator will help you to identify the issues, what information might be needed, and ensure discussions remain focused and respectful. They cannot provide advice or make decisions.
There is no one answer to this, and this depends upon the issues and number of sessions required. Some mediations are concluded after the first joint meeting, with others requiring multiple meetings. The mediator will continue to work with you as long as progress is being made. Mediation is a voluntary process, so anyone can withdraw from the mediation process at any time.
We charge a fixed sum of £245 + VAT for each individual appointment, with joint sessions being charged at £250 + VAT per hour (£125 + VAT per person) after this.
Why Chose Dutton Gregory for Family Mediation?
Jon Whettingsteel, our family mediator and head of our family team has over 15 years’ experience in family law. He is recognised in the Legal 500 directory as a ‘Leading Partner’ and holds the Law Society’s child and advance family law accreditations in recognition of his high level of expertise and knowledge, as well as having won multiple national awards, including family lawyer of the year
Jon is widely recognised as a leader in his field, having written and published books on child relocation, and delivering webinars and appearing in national media, including written publications and BBC radio.
In addition to his experience and knowledge, Jon is recognised for his empathetic and approachable manner, as well as ability to communicate clearly and calmly to focus on finding solutions.
Dutton Gregory are proud to offer mediation as part of our Non-Court Dispute Resolution (NCDR) team, which also includes collaboratively trained lawyers in Helen Cort and Rachael House and a civil mediator in Andrew Witt, giving our clients a variety of different options for the resolution of their case.
Our Accreditations
