A look ahead to Family Mediation Week

New rules for family law solicitors last year placed a burden on them to do all they can to avoid the family court and embrace non court dispute processes (NCDR). Mediation is one such NCDR process and probably the best known. That said, there is much ignorance about family mediation. 

Looking ahead to Family Mediation Week (27 – 31 January 2025), solicitors will welcome sessions on:

1. Hybrid mediation (where solicitors are actively involved in the mediation process rather than simply supporting it).

2. Academic research noting the importance of mediation to the participants and their children.

3. Digital solutions to improve the experience of separating couples.

4. Mediation with arbitration (remember we've got to avoid the family court!).

5. Maximising the success of mediation (how can solicitors engage best to support and encourage settlements).

6. Consideration for mediation where there is domestic abuse.

And there are those for the public or other professionals that will intrigue the solicitor:

1. Divorcing a narcissist.

2. The importance of chid inclusive mediation (a personal favourite).

3. A session for CAFCASS to better understand mediation.

All sessions are online apart from two coffee mornings taking place in London and Leeds. I’ll be (briefly) appearing at the London coffee morning (at Family Law in Partnership) on 30 January 2025 to talk about extending child inclusive mediation to include solicitors in the feedback from the children.

In sum, there are sessions every day for a whole week, and they are all free. Free CPD points and enhancing your understanding of family mediation, what’s not to like?!

To find out more and book your places, take a look at the timetable.

Video recordings from previous Family Mediation Weeks are available here. And in due course all the sessions will be found there.

Looking forward to seeing all my family law solicitor colleagues at these events.

Jo O’Sullivan is an accredited mediator, author of (Almost) Anything But Family Court and founder of O'Sullivan Family Law