When a couple separate and consider applying for divorce, there are financial and emotional challenges that lie ahead.
A Court requirement prior to issuing Court proceedings to resolve financial matters is for the parties to attend mediation.
What is Family Mediation
In a family mediation, both parties speak face to face in the presence of a trained mediator who is neutral. The mediator is a highly skilled family lawyer who will encourage open conversation and guide the discussion toward an amicable solution. Mediation can therefore help reduce the legal costs in obtaining a resolution in a more timely manner.
Benefits of Mediation
Mediation has its benefits:
- Peaceful setting: The setting of a mediation appointment is very different from a court setting. You have an impartial mediator who will strive to keep the discussion respectful and focused. Possible solutions are discussed so that an outcome that satisfies both parties can be reached.
- Quicker resolution: If both parties are willing to approach the matter constructively, a resolution can be far more quickly achieved as opposed to the process of litigation, where it can easily take a year to reach a conclusion decision.
- Costs benefits: In a family mediation, costs are transparent. Generally, the costs are split between both parties equally. However, you have the liberty to decide how you would like to split the costs. Moreover, the cost of mediation is only a fraction of the costs involved in Court proceedings and litigation.
- More Control: Unlike a court setting, the parties are directly involved in the decision making. In fact, both parties are entitled to have a personal lawyer and they can take advice from their respective lawyers during the mediation process. If an agreement is reached, the respective lawyers would then draft the relevant documents for Court approval.
- Lower Emotional Costs: Mediation is a cushion from the gruesome emotional impact which is quite easily felt in the court process. In a court setting, with both parties having their own lawyers fighting it out, meaning hostilities can rise. In this argumentative and confrontational atmosphere, parties take extreme positions and end up damaging their relationship with each other in a way that cannot be repaired in the foreseeable future and may hinder a resolution.
How Aristone Solicitors can help
To get in touch with an efficient family mediator or for help with any other issue related to family law, reach out to us. Our family solicitors will ensure that you get the easiest possible way out of a stressful situation.
