If you need help resolving problems arising from marital or parental separation, you may be thinking about using court proceedings. Before an application can be made to court, you are required to attend a Mediation Information Assessment Meeting (MIAM) save for limited exceptions. The aim of the meeting is to see if mediation could be used to resolve your difficulties, rather than going straight to court.
Courts are required to know that mediation has been considered before they allow your application to proceed.
A MIAM is a meeting between you and a mediator to find out if there are alternative ways to find solutions to your problems.
The mediator will explain to you:
• what your options are
• what mediation is, and how it works
• the benefits of mediation and other appropriate forms of resolving disputes
• the likely costs of using mediation
The meeting can be between the mediator and just you initially but extend to joint meetings if both of you are willing to try and mediate.
Contact details of both parties will need to be provided so that they can be written to with an invitation to book an appointment.
The meeting usually lasts around 30 minutes.
£130.00 per person plus VAT (total £156.00).
The mediator will be able to tell you if your case is suitable for mediation. If it is, he or she will advise you of the next steps.
If, after your MIAM, it is decided or is apparent that mediation is not suitable in your case, the mediator can supply you with a form. Signed by a certified mediator, this form confirms that you have attended a MIAM. The form is incorporated into an application that you can send to the court
