It’s good to talk…
The mediation process is collaborative and encourages you to communicate and listen to each other. Understandably, this may be difficult to fathom especially if you are feeling emotionally and/or financially vulnerable after a separation. There can be some anxiety about how your future will pan out.
Gathering financial information is often the first step and it can be difficult to know where to start. I encourage my clients to distinguish between disclosure of their assets (which is the first step) versus what you would like to do with an asset or what you want to pay. I explain the options, guide you through the financial disclosure process and help you both to look at your future housing, income, or the contact and living arrangements for your children.
An advantage of the mediation process is that it is confidential and so it encourages you both to think and discuss options without the fear of being bound by it. You each make proposals about money and/or your children. It can be difficult to say what you want for fear of upsetting the other, or perhaps you don’t know yet. The mediation space is about exploring ideas and talking about your needs, the other’s needs, and the children’s needs before you reach a decision together, if possible.
Mediation usually takes away correspondence between your lawyers, which can be a relief to some separated couples, not only from a cost perspective but also the anxiety of when you receive a letter and the content of it. I strongly encourage my clients to speak to their solicitor during the process as it is important to have legal advice in the background.
I can’t give you advice or tell you what to do, but I can support you, provide you with other perspectives and practical solutions having worked in family law for many years. I help you to talk, to be heard by each other and try to understand each other’s perspective.
I provide a flexible and dedicated family mediation service in centre of Bristol. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the contact page