The end of a relationship and partnership is tough for anyone, and when emotions have the chance of flying high, carefully working through child arrangements and financial agreements is not always the easiest process to undertake.
As such, mediators provide a valuable service to prevent conflict from escalating while also ensuring common ground can be found. In this way, arrangements for the future have a better chance of success, with both parties feeling as though they’ve been heard and an acceptable compromise has been found.
Meditation can also prevent the need for further legal escalation, which is rarely healthy or comfortable for either party. A qualified mediator with thousands of hours experience in helping couples come to an amicable solution could be just what you need.
If you cannot afford meditation, you’ll be pleased to know that Legal Aid provided by the Legal Aid Agency can cover the cost of the Family Law Mediation service.
Legal Aid for family mediation may be able to help you embark on the mediation process without the intensive upfront cost. Mediation itself is a thoroughly cost-effective means of avoiding intensive and long-form legal costs, serving as its own form of cost-saving strategy.
Is legal aid available to me?
Legal Aid is available for family mediation cases that help families agree arrangements where:
- You are getting divorced or separating, and therefore need to sort out financial arrangements, and where you are both going to live
- Child arrangements have broken down, and so you are not seeing your children, or arrangements are not working very well
- Any dispute following a family breakdown that may end up in court
We provide legal aid services as a member of the Compass Resolution Network Legal Aid contract. Legal aid is means-tested so you have to provide evidence of your current financial circumstances to prove you are entitled to free legal aid.
What does legal aid cover?
If you are eligible, Legal Aid for family mediation will cover all your individual mediation costs.
It will also cover costs of the initial appointment and first mediation meeting for the other person, if they are not eligible in their own right.
I believe mediation could help me - so what’s next?
Family Law Mediation is proud to have helped many families and ex-partners agree to rational terms via their mediation process.
For a free consultation, use our contact form, or feel free to call within office hours at 0116 4422 989. We look forward to speaking with you.
