Mediation works. We know that for a fact because we do it every day.
It cuts the cost of divorce and makes the process much less stressful.
So a headline statistic which says that only 24 per cent of couples have confidence in the mediation process simply does not tally with what we see as family lawyers.
The figure in question has emerged in a survey published to coincide with Family Dispute Resolution Week (November 25-29).
But our experience is that family mediation resolves at least half of all the divorce cases that we see.
And in the cases which are not wholly resolved by mediation, it helps to make the other processes run much more smoothly.
Going to court with 80 per cent of your differences resolved by mediation is much quicker, easier and cheaper than doing so while still at complete loggerheads with your ex.
Family Dispute Resolution Week and its common sense mediation approach could not be better timed.
It follows what has been Britain’s longest-running divorce – businessman Scot Young versus his estranged wife Michelle. That case has taken around seven years with legal bills of £6.5 million.
Going to court should be a last resort. Mediation is by far the better choice. It is good for all concerned. Especially the children.
For more information about mediation, please contact our family law team on 01202 673011.
