Selby Lowndes
Selby Lowndes Family Solicitors Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and London offering legal advice, free initial consultation

Mediation and Arbitration

If you are looking for a mediator or an arbitrator to assist you following the breakdown of your relationship or if you are a referring lawyer on behalf of a client then we can help.


Mediation

Jane Aizlewood is a trained mediator, a member of Resolution and the Family Mediation Council. Jane can assist couples who want to try and agree their financial, property or child arrangements following the breakdown of their relationship through mediation. Jane regularly conducts Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) on a one to one basis, for a fixed fee so that clients can find out more about the process and whether mediation is suitable for their family issue.

Family mediation is a voluntary process; the mediator is impartial and cannot give specific legal advice. Mediation can help separating couples or ex-partners to reach agreements about finances, property, and children without going to court. The mediator facilitates discussions between you through a series of meetings, helps you understand each other's perspectives, and guides you to reach mutually acceptable solutions, rather than making decisions for you.

Mediation can take place in the same or different rooms (shuttle mediation), and can even take place remotely via Zoom for example.

The advantages of mediation include:

You are in control - you and your former partner/spouse will be in control of both the process, and what happens, rather than have a decision, and a timetable, forced upon you.
You can reach a tailor-made agreement that works for you and your family, rather than have a settlement imposed on you.
Mediation is usually much quicker and cheaper than negotiating through solicitors.
Mediation often helps to improve communication and cooperation between you going forward.

Any agreement that you reach can then be drafted into a legally binding document called a consent order by your solicitors.

Although mediation can be very effective it is not suitable for all cases. If you would like to find out more about mediation and whether it is likely to be suitable for you then please contact the office and speak to a member of our team.

Arbitration

William Selby-Lowndes is a trained arbitrator, a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and can assist you in both the division of finances on divorce and in children disputes.

What is arbitration and how does it work?

If you and your ex-partner cannot reach an agreement about finances or arrangements for your children either through negotiations or mediation, then you can appoint a family arbitrator to make the decision for you instead of applying to the court.

The difference between mediation and arbitration is that in mediation you and your ex-partner try to reach an agreement by yourselves with the help of a mediator, whereas an arbitrator makes a decision for you. The arbitrator’s decision is binding on both of you. Like a judge, an arbitrator will have read all the paperwork, and may hear evidence.

Some of the benefits of arbitration include:
It is flexible - the process can be adapted to your case, which can save time, money and stress, avoiding unnecessary documentation and hearings.

It is fast - arbitration is usually concluded far more quickly than court proceedings, because you do not have to wait for hearings, and you can adapt the process to suit your individual case.

You have choice - you can choose a judge who might have specialist knowledge suitable for your case, and has been specifically trained in family law.

You will have the same judge throughout the process - this does not always happen in court proceedings.

The hearing will be private - in family court proceedings the details of the case can be reported.

Whether you choose to use William Selby-Lowndes or an alternative arbitrator, we can discuss all the options with you, and help you make the best decision for your particular circumstances. Where you choose to use an outside arbitrator we can support and assist you throughout the process and provide you with expert legal advice.


PLEASE NOTE we can only provide mediation and arbitration services if we are not already appointed as your lawyers in the case.