Family Mediation
Resolve family disputes without the stress of court. Our experienced family mediation solicitors help you reach fair agreements on finances, property and child arrangements in a calm, confidential setting.
What is family mediation?
Family mediation is a flexible way of resolving disputes before, during, or after separation or divorce. It helps avoid going to court, saving time and money while reducing conflict.
How does family mediation work?
A family mediator is a neutral specialist who works with couples across several sessions to help resolve issues arising from separation or divorce. Family mediation can cover dividing assets, arranging ongoing financial support, and agreeing on child arrangements.
Unlike traditional legal proceedings, mediation enables you to communicate directly with each other rather than through solicitors.
The mediator acts as an impartial third party. You can still have your own solicitor for advice and support during the process, but in standard family mediation, solicitors do not attend the sessions, which remain private.
Mediation is voluntary and confidential, taking place in a safe, non-hostile environment. A family mediator will not impose decisions but will facilitate discussions to help you create a jointly agreed set of proposals. You can then seek advice from your own family mediation solicitors before making anything legally binding.
What happens at mediation sessions?
Before joint sessions begin, the mediator meets each of you individually to explain the process, understand your goals, and confirm whether mediation is right for you.
During joint sessions, our family mediators help you identify and clarify all issues that need discussion. Each person can raise the matters most important to them. For financial matters, the mediator assists with disclosure of documents and information, reducing the need for solicitor involvement in preparing these.
The mediator will guide you through exploring all potential options together.
We offer a no-obligation initial consultation to understand your needs and assemble the best legal team for your case. You’ll find us approachable and supportive throughout the process.
Get in touch
Start with an initial no-obligation consultation and let us guide you through your options.
How we support you through mediation
- We have two qualified mediators, who are also experienced family solicitors, bringing legal insight to mediation
- We will put you at your ease by creating a safe environment, including holding mediation sessions online via video call if you would prefer them not to take place in person
- We specialise in working with couples to help them resolve disputes
- We can deal with all issues arising from separation or divorce
- Our discussions are entirely private and confidential
- We offer competitive rates and transparency on fees
What issues can family mediation help with?
You can use family mediation as a way to discuss and try to resolve any issues arising from divorce or relationship breakdown, including:
- Talking to your children about separation and what happens next
- Child arrangements, including time spent with each parent
- Contact with extended family or a parent’s new partner
- Disagreements over schooling, holidays abroad, medical treatment or mental health support
- Division of the family home and other assets (savings, investments, businesses)
- Treatment of inherited or gifted assets
- Pension arrangements on divorce
- Ongoing financial support for children or between spouses
Family mediation FAQs
You do not have to have solicitors acting for you. However, it is often useful to consult a solicitor as you go through the process.
No. If you would prefer, mediation can take place online via video calls rather than in person, and many people are more comfortable with this option. If you do agree on in person mediation, the mediator will be in the room with you throughout.
Generally, the costs are divided equally between you. However, it is open to you to agree a different arrangement if that works for both of you.
How long mediation takes generally depends on the number and complexity of the issues that you want to resolve, and the level of dispute between you. As a rough guide, once you have each had your individual meetings with the mediator, it typically takes between three and five joint sessions for mediation to reach a conclusion.
Discussions at mediation are “without prejudice”. That means that, if there are court proceedings between you later on, what you have said at mediation is kept confidential from the judge. This allows you to have frank discussions and make concessions during mediation without jeopardising your position if court proceedings become necessary. It also means that any agreement that you reach at mediation is not legally binding until it has been confirmed openly and formalised into a court order, which you both sign and then have approved by a judge.
Mediation has a very good success rate in resolving disagreements. However, even if you cannot reach a full agreement at mediation, you can often reduce the number of issues in dispute and set yourselves up well to resolve any remaining issues constructively. That can be through negotiation between solicitors or another form of non-court dispute resolution (NCDR) - it does not have to mean going to court.
Testimonials
"I’ve found Freeths to be sensible in their approach, realistic with clients, and good at avoiding unnecessary conflict. They also strike the right...
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"Freeths has a real breadth of family specialisms and collectively significant experience in the field of family law, particularly on complex finan...
Chambers & Partners, 2026
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