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Referring a client to mediation
Information for solicitors, GPs, schools and support services in Guildford and across Surrey. Appointments are usually available within [X] working days, including evenings.
Who refers, and why
Family solicitors
MIAMs for clients who need one before a C100 or Form A application. Where mediation proceeds, your client leaves with a Memorandum of Understanding and, in financial cases, an Open Financial Statement — drafted so you can move straight to a consent order.
[CONFIRM: only an FMC-registered mediator may sign the court's MIAM certificate. This paragraph must match Lucy's current registration status before publishing — see LAUNCH-CHECKLIST.md.]
GPs and health professionals
Patients in the middle of a separation often present with the stress rather than the cause. Mediation isn't therapy and I'm not a counsellor — but where the underlying problem is an unresolved dispute about children or money, it's usually the faster route to relief.
No referral letter is needed. Signposting is enough.
Schools and pastoral teams
Where separated parents disagree about handovers, school contact, trips or who gets told what, a parenting plan settles it in writing so school isn't left mediating between two households.
I can explain the process to a parent without taking a position on their dispute.
What happens after you refer
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Contact and screening
I speak to your client, explain costs and process, and screen for domestic abuse and any other reason mediation may not be safe or suitable.
Usually within [X] working days -
Separate MIAMs
Each party attends their own MIAM, individually and confidentially. If mediation isn't appropriate, I say so and signpost elsewhere rather than proceeding.
About 45 minutes each -
Documents back to you
If the case settles, your client receives the written outcome and can bring it to you for a consent order. If it doesn't, the court form can be signed to confirm the MIAM requirement has been met.
Sent within a week
How to refer
Getting in touch
Email or call with the client's name and what needs resolving — children, finances, or both. I'll take it from there.
Please make sure your client either contacts me themselves, or has agreed to you passing on their details. I can't open a file on someone who hasn't consented to the referral, and unexpected contact about a separation can be unsafe. See the privacy notice for how enquiries are handled.
Useful to include
- Whether proceedings have already been issued, and any hearing date
- Whether it's children, finances or both
- Anything that affects safety or suitability, including any known safeguarding concerns
- Whether the other party knows a referral is being made
- Any accessibility or interpreting needs
Fees are on the pricing page. Each party pays their own share.
Suitability is assessed in every case. Mediation is voluntary and it isn't right for everyone. Where there is ongoing abuse, an imbalance that can't be managed in the room, or an unwillingness to disclose finances honestly, I'll say so and decline rather than take the case forward.
If you or a child are in immediate danger, call 999.
Mediation is not a safe route where there is ongoing abuse. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247 — free, confidential, 24 hours a day.
Questions before you refer?
Happy to talk through whether a particular case is a good fit for mediation — no obligation, and no charge for the conversation.
Get in touch