Minerva Mediation

A MIAM or Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting is a confidential first meeting which provides an opportunity for you to find out more about mediation and discuss whether it might be suitable for your situation. The Family Courts now require anyone applying to Court for an order about their Children or people have been married who need to resolve issues about finance and property to attend a MIAM session with an authorised mediator or prove they are exempt before the Court will accept an application.

I offer Initial Assessment Meetings for all the mediation work I do not just family because it helps clients understand the process and make an informed choice about whether it might suit their situation and it helps me understand what the dispute is about and plan how to organise the sessions to help them make progress. Attending a MIAM can help you gain information about how to prepare and where to get more information and advice about your alternatives.

Clients can choose whether to come to a MIAM together and each have some separate time with me within that meeting or to come on their own and I will then invite the other potential client to their own meeting. The contents of each MIAM meeting are not shared between clients and there is no obligation on you to continue on to mediation with the other person if you don’t want to.

An individual MIAM is for up to 60 minutes and costs £95

A joint MIAM is for up to 90 minutes and costs £150 (£75 each)

Please contact me if you’d like more information on costs.

Mediation is designed to help people negotiate solutions step-by-step.

The first stage is for me as a mediator, is to speak with each person confidentially to find out the background to the situation, what each person hopes to resolve and discuss whether mediation might be suitable. This is usually in a separate meeting called a MIAM. If everybody agrees, then mediation can be arranged and organised so that everyone feels able to speak up for themselves.

I manage the mediation process helping all parties stick to the point, observe rules of courtesy and discuss issues in a logical and manageable way. I don’t take sides or tell people what they should do. I help everyone reality test any proposed solutions and encourage everyone to get advice when they need it. Special confidentiality rules apply so that discussion can’t be quoted in court. This gives everyone the freedom to raise and explain their ideas about how to resolve issues.

Finding a mediator who everyone feels comfortable and confident to work with is not just a matter of cost. Mediation costs a lot less than using the courts, but I realise how important it is to keep fees affordable whilst maintaining high professional standards and quality. My service is designed to help clients have the best chance of resolving problems at a realistic price with:

• advice on whether you might qualify for Legal Aid for Family Mediation
• fixed fees for each mediation meeting
• meetings scheduled at times and intervals to suit clients, including Skype if required
• an agreed structure for meetings with guidance on how to prepare to make best use of the meeting time
• referrals and collaboration with other specialists who can support the process of peaceful resolution when needed e.g. Counsellors or Child Consultation Specialists
• access to support by email and telephone between meetings to ensure that everyone follows up on agreed actions, knows what they need to do to prepare for the next meeting and shares agreed information.

 

Pre-Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM)
Individual = £95
Couple = £75 ea.

Mediation Sessions £100 per client per hour.

The length, number, and type of meetings will depend on the issues and the extent to which everyone is able to have productive discussions.

Please contact me if you’d like more information on costs.

Because mediation is so successful at resolving disputes quickly and economically, the courts will usually encourage you to try mediation first.

For disputes about children or property and finance matters, the Family Court now requires that anyone applying to court attends a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) with an accredited Family Mediator to determine if mediation may be suitable, unless they can prove that they are exempt.

To book your MIAM, please contact me.

A judge can delay a civil or family case which has been started at court to allow time to try settlement using mediation. A judge can also order a person to explain to the court why they were not willing to mediate and order anyone who has unreasonably refused to try mediation to pay a costs penalty.

If a case has started, but you think mediation might help, get in touch for some expert advice.

Mediation can help in any dispute where each side is willing to accept that by discussion and respectful negotiation, they may get an acceptable result preferable to either going to court, feuding, or ignoring the problem. Choosing a mediator with relevant experience can speed up the process.

Take a look at my CV or contact me for more information.

The Family Court requires assessments about whether disputes are suitable for Family Mediation (MIAMS), which must be dealt with by a qualified Family Mediator.

Please contact me to book your MIAM.

Most lawyers will tell you that a cast iron case is a rare thing and that winning and enforcement are two different matters. Even if one side is completely right, fighting to win through lawyers or at court can be very stressful, time consuming, expensive, and may take months or even years. Other factors to be taken into consideration include:

• winners at court do not usually recover all of their costs and may run up legal bills of thousands of pounds
• judges can only award a limited range of remedies which the people involved may feel are not sufficient or appropriate for their situation
• fighting to win usually results in long term damage to relationships between people who will need to co-operate in the future e.g. parents and work colleagues.

 

Research has shown that mediation supported by good legal and financial advice is quicker, cheaper and more likely to achieve a successful resolution that everyone feels able to stick to.

Because discussions in mediation are confidential, it doesn’t harm anyone’s chances in court if it doesn’t result in complete agreement.

Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss how mediation can help your situation.

If you believe court may be an option, view my free list of questions you might want to ask a lawyer.