For those entitled to legal aid, mediation is free. There is an eligibility calculator set out in the Legal Services Commission website on www.legalservicescommission.co.uk that can be used to find out if you are eligible or not based on your financial position.
For those not entitled to legal aid, the couple will share the cost of the family mediator equally on the basis of the mediator’s private hourly rate which, depending upon which region of England the couple live in, may range from £170 to £220 per hour plus VAT. The hourly rate charged by family mediators is often equivalent to a private family lawyer’s hourly rate but as mentioned is shared between the parties. If agreed voluntarily by the couple, it is also open to one party to discharge the full cost of the mediation on behalf of the other.
The overall cost of family mediation will depend upon how many issues need to be resolved by the couple and how easy or complex it is for the couple to come to an agreement. That will depend upon their commitment to the process and whether there are obstacles that have to be overcome to allow positive discussions to take place. An average number of sessions would be between 3 and 6 lasting between an hour or an hour and a half. Every case is different and therefore the number of sessions needed may be less or it may be more.
Payment is made to the family mediator just before or just after the mediation session therefore the couple will need to budget for this and come to each mediation session with the means to discharge the mediators fees. This means that the couple always know where they stand with the costs and can pay as they go along.
If you wish to know more about the costs of mediation, you can telephone Glynis Wright who is a Leicester based Resolution accredited mediator on 0844 225 2790. Glynis will be happy to discuss her hourly rate and will provide you with an estimate of the cost of the mediation depending upon the number of issues that may need to be dealt with by mediation as well as her availability.
