Click here to download the “Mediation referral form”
At Godalming Family Mediation, we believe that mediation can complement the work that solicitors and other legal professionals carry out in the majority of family law disputes, regardless of whether the parties involved are privately paying or eligible for free legal help with the Legal Services Commission.
The part that the mediator takes in this process can range from a relatively small part of an overall case, perhaps where a single issue needs to agreed relating to contact/residence for children or the division of a specific asset, to a much larger part where the mediator attempts to help the parties to reach agreements about the full spectrum of issues they face relating to children, finances and associated matters.
We are committed to providing a professional service, at a very competitive rate, to both parties in any family matter, with the aim being to encourage the parties to seek independent legal advice at the appropriate times during the mediation process, particularly at the stage when agreed proposals have been made by the parties, at which point they may benefit both from specific legal advice about these proposals and also from legal expertise in drafting legally binding documents, such as the drafting of consent orders or separation agreements towards the end of the mediation process.
The need for a strong relationship between mediators and other advisers is likely to become much greater in the near future following the introduction of the Pre-Action Protocol for Mediation for Mediation and Assessment which requires applicants from 6th April 2011 to have a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting with a mediator before considering making an application to the courts for relevant family proceedings i.e. the vast majority of proceedings relating to private law children and finance applications.
Our aim is to develop strong links with local solicitors and advice agencies in the Godalming and Guildford area. We would like to reach a point where we are receiving regular referrals from local law firms and other agencies, whilst also offering our clients who do not yet have legal advisers the opportunity to seek legal advice from local firms.
We are also in a position to assist local firms by undertaking the MIAM assessments following their introduction on 6th April 2011 and the strengthening of the MIAM rules on 22nd April 2014. Please see the MIAM page for more details: Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAM)
We would be very happy to organise a meeting with someone from your firm or organisation if you would like to know more about mediation in general or about the possibility of building a link with Godalming Family Mediation so please contact Euan Davidson to discuss the options.
Please also feel free to download, complete and return the mediation referral form if you would like us to contact the parties directly about the possibility of using mediation.