How we can help YOU

Resolution’s 6,500 members are family lawyers, mediators and other professionals committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. Members follow a Code of Practice that promotes a non-confrontational approach to family problems. Our members encourage solutions that consider the needs of the whole family - and in particular the best interests of children.

Family mediation" in the UK is a process is intended to assist co-operation and the resolution of family difficulties by a method that is:-

1    Voluntary;

2    Confidential (subject to exceptions);

3    Impartial;

4    A facilitating process so that the decisions remain with the client.

Rather than involving telephone calls, second hand letters and conversations through your solicitors mediation usually involves face to face meetings facilitated by the mediator. This puts you in control of the agenda, speeds up communication and decision making, reduces cost and leads to improved relationships for the future.

As with all negotiation there can be a delay at the beginning for information gathering but once the process is properly up and running weekly or fortnightly sessions can help you to reach a compromise within 4 or 5 sessions depending on how much needs to be sorted out.

Many of our referrals come via solicitors and we recommend taking legal advice on proposals discussed. Rather than trying to replace solicitors we seek to improve the decision making process. Many clients find it helpful to take advice as the sessions unfold and it is often helpful to have solicitors who will prepare appropriate court documentation for you when mediation is complete.

A mediator is a neutral facilitator who helps people – typically a couple – to decide what problems they wish to resolve, to confirm how important each issue is and then to come to proposals that each is able to accept in order to resolve the problem. The crucial point is that the mediator is impartial and has no favour in either direction and no axe to grind.

A Resolution Solicitor Mediator is an experienced family lawyer who will have dealt with most kinds of family dispute over many years. That hard won experience is in the room with you to look at the practical and legal realities of your situation and to give you a reality check about whether the solutions you may be proposing will be likely to meet with the approval of a court.

Resolution approved Solicitor Mediators have been specially trained in mediation techniques and are uniquely qualified to offer both independent mediation and legally correct factual advice to mediation participants

Our Family Mediator is Ian Stirzaker. Ian is our Senior and Managing Partner and a member of “Resolution” the nationally recognised professional organisation for specialist family law solicitors. He is also a member of the Family Mediators Association.  He is a Solicitor Advocate of over 30 years experience and an accredited business adviser with a particular interest in complex finances, businesses and pensions.

Ian spent many years on the Law Society Children Panel enabling the voice of children to be heard within legal proceedings and brings a uniquely compassionate and child-centred approach to both children and financial cases.

SME Family Mediation is the mediation arm of SME Solicitors which has practised in Worcester for well over 100 years and is one of the leading law firms in the area.

Many participants divide the charges for mediation equally meaning that the cost is around half that of traditional legal services. Our current charge is £125 + VAT per hour per person. For that you have access to your own mediator who is one of the most experienced family lawyers in the region.  The true value of mediation lies in the fact that you control the agenda, it speeds up communication and decision making, reduces cost and leads to improved relationships for the future.

Yes it is particularly suited to resolving children issues.

Our mediator has spent most of his professional life as an advocate either in court on financial matters or preparing such cases for hearing.  That experience gives a unique ability to inform and help mediation clients to come to arrangements that suit them and will be approved by a court.

Yes. Although mediation is generally considered within divorce and separation it is also equally valuable in considering how best to make financial provision after death in cases in which families are having trouble in seeing eye to eye.

Financial disclosure given in mediation can be relied on in subsequent court proceedings but arrangements discussed in mediation are “privileged” and therefore cannot be relied on in court until they are turned into a binding agreement or court order.

This is so that participants in mediation have confidence that they are able to discuss all options with nothing out of the equation in an effort to explore what might suit.

A Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) is a detailed set of proposals prepared by the mediator in order to summarise the terms which appear to be able to resolve the case. If the proposals are confirmed in a binding agreement the MoU will form the basis of the terms of that agreement or any following court order.