Fees & Payments
COSTS OF SERVICES & PROCESS
Our private costs are as follows:
- Individual MIAM meeting:` £99 per person
- Mediation: £150 (no VAT) per party per hour
- Documents: £100 Open Financial Summary
- £150 Memorandum of Understanding
- Signing court paperwork: £49
MIAM attendance or an attempt at mediation)
We are able to offer mediation funded by legal aid to those eligible.
A mediation voucher scheme is in place that would cover costs after the initial MIAM meeting of up to £500 in total for discussions about children.
The process:
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MIAM Party one
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MIAM Party two
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Mediation sessions to discuss proposals
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Please contact should you have any questions. If you wish to go ahead with an initial MIAM meeting please call to arrange an appointment on 07984 272767
What is a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting?
A mediation information and assessment meeting (often called a MIAM) is a meeting with a specially qualified family mediator the aim of which is:
(i) To explain to you the alternatives to the court process available to separating or divorcing couples. Those alternatives include mediation which is a voluntary process, involving qualified and impartial mediators who provide neutral information about clients’ legal and financial options, but not advice on their ‘best interests’.
(ii) To give you an opportunity to decide whether going to court would be the best way of resolving the issues surrounding your relationship or marriage breakdown (e.g. children, property and financial issues).
(iii) To explore whether mediation would be a safe and effective alternative to litigation in your particular circumstances.
Every client who expresses an interest in mediation begins the process with an information and assessment meeting. In addition, since 22 April 2014, almost all divorcing and separating couples in England and Wales who want to use the court process to resolve any disagreements about children or money must prove that they have made a referral for a MIAM first. You cannot issue an application at court without either (a) a record of a MIAM referral having been made or (b) claiming one of the specific exemptions explained in the form. If there has been a referral for a MIAM, the mediator has to sign the court application form.
The court will check whether any other exemption is validly claimed and will usually require that you attend a MIAM if no exemption in fact applies. A judge may also choose not to hear a case until both people have shown that they have considered mediation. This means that, even if you are quite sure that mediation or one of the other alternatives to court is not for you, attending a MIAM will help you avoid unnecessary delays whether you are the person who is applying to the court, or the other person. Far more positively, the meeting gives you a chance to decide, with professional assistance, how best to conduct your separation or divorce in the interests of yourself and your family.
You should advise your solicitor, if you have one, that you are attending an initial meeting. If you decide to progress to mediation, you should inform your solicitor of the appointment of a mediator. It is very helpful for you to obtain advice from a legal adviser during the mediation process.
There will be no charge to you for this meeting, which Is usually around thirty minutes.