Individual meetings (MIAMs)
The first stage of any mediation is for you to attend an individual meeting with us. This is often referred to as a MIAM which is an acronym for Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting. This meeting takes place online, lasts up to an hour and costs £150 at Arch Family Mediation. This is a fixed cost. If mediation is not appropriate and you would like us to complete the relevant certificate for a Court application we will do this at no additional cost.
Joint meetings
If mediation proceeds, the second stage is the joint meetings. These can either take place in person at one of our locations in Oxford and Oxfordshire, or online. They will last an hour and a half. The cost of each joint meeting, including our preparation for the meeting and the follow up work, is £330 per person per meeting. The amount of time it takes to prepare for, hold, and follow up a meeting is at least 3 hours, which equates to an hourly rate of £110 per person or less. However, we choose to charge a fixed cost so our clients know exactly what they will pay.
How many joint meetings take place will depend on what issues need to be discussed, how complex the issues are, and how easily decisions are made. To reach a resolution in relation to the division of finances during divorce, five sessions might be needed. To reach a resolution in relation to arrangements for children (often referred to by people as custody), three or four sessions might be needed.
Other costs
Sometimes it might be beneficial to have a longer meeting, especially if solicitors are attending the meeting with you. The additional time spent will be charged at our usual hourly rate of £250. This would always be discussed beforehand.
When decisions have been made, you may wish for us to set these out in a memorandum of understanding and financial statement if finances have been discussed during divorce. This will be charged at our hourly rate of £250. We will discuss this with you beforehand and provide you with an estimate.
Other costs might include obtaining an opinion from an independent lawyer, if needed, as to what a fair outcome might look like, or assisting with the preparation of letters to third parties, for example, to obtain a valuation of assets, or to ascertain how pensions might be divided. This work will be charged for at our hourly rate of £250, and would always be discussed beforehand.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 07476 012552 if you would like to discuss mediation. We can help with family mediation for divorce, the division of finances during divorce, financial arrangements for separating couples who have not been married, and arrangements for children (often referred to by people as custody). Individual meetings take place online, but the joint mediation meetings can take place at a number of locations in Oxford and Oxfordshire.
