How financial mediation works
Financial cases follow a clear sequence, and the order matters. You can't fairly divide what you haven't first counted.
1. Disclosure
You both set out everything you own and owe — property, savings, pensions, debts, income — and back it up with documents. This is open disclosure: unlike the rest of mediation it can be used in court, which is what makes the final agreement stand up.
2. Understanding the pot
We build a single picture of the finances that you both recognise. A great deal of conflict turns out to be two people working from different numbers.
3. Options
We generate several ways of dividing things and test each against what you both need — housing, income, the children, retirement. Rarely is there only one fair answer.
4. The paperwork
You leave with a Memorandum of Understanding and an Open Financial Statement. Your solicitor uses these to draft a consent order for the court to approve.
Pensions deserve their own paragraph
Pensions are routinely the second most valuable asset after the house, and routinely the one people wave away to keep things simple. That decision can cost tens of thousands over a retirement.
We'll put pension values on the table alongside everything else. Where the figures are significant I'll suggest you get a report from a pensions actuary — a specialist expert — before you agree anything. It's a cost worth paying.
What I can't do
I'm neutral. That means I can't advise either of you on what deal to accept, or tell you what a court would order. I'll give you legal information and make sure you both understand it.
For advice you need your own solicitor, and for a financial case I'd encourage you to have one alongside mediation. Their bill is far smaller when you arrive with the numbers already agreed.
What it costs
Financial cases usually take three to five joint sessions plus the written documents. The whole thing typically lands in the high hundreds per person — against five figures each for a contested court case. See full pricing.
Note: the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme covers cases involving children. Purely financial cases are not eligible.
Start with a MIAM
£60 per person. Bring your questions about the finances — I'll tell you honestly whether mediation will work for your situation.
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