Family Mediation Fees

The average costs of negotiating child and financial matters in mediation are £395 and £545 (£695 for all issues) per person. The comparative cost of using litigation and the Court is £5,000 to £10,000 for child related issues and a further £5,000 to £10,000 for financial issues.

Mediation is a two-stage process:

1. Initial Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) of up to 45 minutes
2. If deemed suitable, one or more mediation sessions of 90 minutes each (The average number of mediation sessions needed is: 1 to 3 for child only, 2 to 4 for property and finance and 3 to 5 for all issues).

All session fees are payable in advance and should be paid at the time of booking.

If a client is eligible for Legal Aid (see page 2) all mediation is FREE of charge for them and the MIAM and the first Mediation Session will be FREE for the non-eligible party.

Session	Eligible for Legal Aid	Not Eligible for Legal Aid
MIAM (per person)	FREE	£95
Mediation Session (per person)	FREE	£150
Preparation of Memorandum of Understanding (per person)	FREE	£150

If clients attend a MIAM together and wish to make a start on mediation (time permitting) a planning session fee of £55 per person will be charged for those not eligible for Legal Aid.

We do not charge VAT and our fees include all administration.

CANCELLATION & NON-ATTENDANCE POLICY – ALL CLIENTS

If an appointment is cancelled, giving at least three working days’ notice, you may re-book at no extra charge. However, if you do not wish to re-book, then an administration fee of £35 will be deducted from your payment and the balance refunded.

If an appointment is not attended or is cancelled with less than the required notice the following administration fees apply:

• MIAM appointment       £35.00 per person
• Mediation Session          £75.00 per person

Legal Aid

If you are on a low income, you may be eligible for free mediation under the legal aid scheme. Clients assessed as eligible for Legal Aid will receive a refund for any advance payment.

Please use the checklist below and bring the appropriate evidence for assessment. If you have a partner living with you, we will also require their income details for assessment. 

We are unable to assess you for Legal Aid if your income (solo or joint) is more than £2,657 gross per month, the annual equivalent being £31,884 gross, or if you have savings of over £8000.

Employed – Information / Documents Required

• Information/documents showing your National Insurance number.
• Bank statement covering one calendar month ending on the day of your assessment meeting from any/all banks into which you receive income.
• If you are paid monthly, a payslip dated within the four weeks before your assessment meeting
  OR
• If you are paid weekly, a payslip for each of the five weeks before your assessment meeting

Not Employed – Information / Documents Required

• National Insurance number
• Bank statement(s) from all banks into which you receive income covering one calendar month ending of the day of your assessment meeting
• A letter dated within the last six months advising you of your entitlement to:
  • Income Support (IS)
  • Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Income Based
  • Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Income Related
  • Guaranteed Pension Credit (GC)
  • Your latest statement for Universal Credit (UC)
• Student loan award letter
• If none of above – a letter from the person providing support, specifying in what way and how much

Self Employed – Information / Documents Required

• National Insurance number
• Personal bank statement covering one month ending on the day of your assessment meeting from all banks into which you receive income AND working accounts showing evidence of drawings/dividends PLUS a copy of your last Tax Return OR a copy of your most recent Accounts
• If you believe your income has significantly changed in comparison with the tax return you also need to bring an accounts statement for the current year

Expenditure/Capital – Information / Documents Required

• Evidence of rent or mortgage costs (if more than 1/3 of your income)
• Evidence of childcare costs (if over £600 per month)
• Information about any capital assets you hold or have an interest in (valuations of property, mortgage(s), savings, investments)