Family Mediation Week on January 23rd-27th is a chance to find out more about family mediation - what it is, how it works, and why it is better for every member of the family than simply going to court to decide on issues like divorce and child custody.
Organised by the Family Mediators Association, the week-long awareness campaign aims to help families to decide if mediation is the right route for them, as well as to put separating couples in touch with a mediator who can help them to proceed.
Marcia Mediation are accredited with senior status mediators under the FMA's definition of the role, so you can be assured of an empathetic and effective service from any member of our team - part of our Five Es promise along with easy, efficient and economic service.
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| Marcia Lister |
Company founder
Marcia Lister has been an independent mediator since 2004 and is now a Resolution-qualified Professional Practice Consultant, guiding newly qualified mediators towards this senior status as both a mentor and a sounding board to provide the second opinions they need to make personal professional development.
Mediators play a growing role in all kinds of family law cases, and especially in divorces where it has proven difficult to make progress due to emotions running high or seemingly impassable disagreements between the separating couple.
The role of a mediator is to speak to each party separately, without putting pressure on them, and then to find a way forwards that represents as closely as possible what the parties want to achieve as the outcome.
Marcia Mediation offer ongoing support for all concerned and can provide summaries to pass on to your solicitor to keep them informed too, with flexibility to tackle issues as they arise so forward momentum is not lost.
Initial contact is via telephone or email, with no obligation to proceed to in-person meetings, and we will always aim to provide a full, costed timetable during which we believe we will be able to resolve the specific issues you raise at the outset.
In cases where children are involved, the mediator is also there to make sure the children's interests are taken into account at every stage, so that an acrimonious divorce does not lead to the welfare of dependants being neglected.
Mediators help troubled waters to run smooth, while making sure the interests of all concerned - including both of the separating couple and any dependants - are equally represented for the best possible mutual outcome overall.
This keeps things moving forwards with less stress and argument, and frees up family court time for the cases that cannot be resolved through mediation, typically leading to the completion of divorces faster and cheaper than would be the case in court.
Ultimately, Marcia Mediation want to see you make progress quickly and painlessly, with nobody's needs neglected - an outcome that is often achieved through mediation when it seemed impossible through direct negotiation.
