What is Mediation?
"A courtroom is a barbaric venue in which to pick over the carcass of a failed marriage."
Fiona Shackleton, lawyer for Sir Paul McCartney
The Times October 12 2007
Mediation is a voluntary process that can help two sides to reach an acceptable solution to their differences. A mediator can help you both to examine ideas and options in a neutral, safe environment where you are both free to express your opinions.
Using mediation can be a sensible alternative to taking your differences to court and therefore avoiding LARGE LEGAL COSTS.
National Audit Office report published on 2 March 2007 entitled "Legal Aid and Mediation for People involved in Family Breakdown" -
"Family disputes that are resolved through family mediation are cheaper, quicker and less acrimonious than those settled through the courts."
Mediation can help in the following situations:
- Divorcing or separating couples (whether still living together or not)
- Problems with child contact
- Civil partnerships / same sex relationships
- Unmarried couples
- Grandparents wishing to re-establish contact with family
- Families in difficult situations or conflict with each other
It is not about winners and losers, it is about achieving a sensible outcome for everybody involved, particularly any children.
Rather than asking a court to make far-reaching decisions on your behalf, you can use a mediator to help you make your own decisions about your children, finances and future. A mediated solution can then be ratified by a court, so that the decisions that are made are legally binding upon each person.
One of the aims of mediation is to resolve conflict as quickly and as calmly as possible, so that damage is limited.
Benefits of counselling
Divorce is a stressful and difficult time and many people find that a course of counselling either before, during or after a separation or divorce is beneficial to them. Arena Mediation can offer a counselling service on-site with a fully qualified counsellor, as part of the process. Alternatively, we can provide you with a list of counsellors local to you, so that you may make your own arrangements directly with them.
Shuttle mediation
Mediation is essentially an assisted negotiation between two people. Those two people do not necessarily need to trust each other, or even sit in the same room as each other in order for mediation to be successful. Arena can offer a process known as "shuttle" mediation for those cases where it would be inappropriate for the two parties to be in the same room, e.g. where there has been serious domestic violence. Please see shuttle mediation for further details.
