Parenting, divorce and prenups: how family mediation could help instead of legal disputes

As Family Mediation Week is under way, Yorkshire law firm Rollits has their say on the process which can help avoid lengthy disputes.
By Grace Hammond
Published 24th Jan 2024, 11:45 BST

Family conflicts can be extremely stressful and, when it comes to legal disputes, costly too. However, there is another option. Yorkshire family law practitioners are saying families should consider mediation rather than pursuing court cases for such matters, as average time to settle a case reaches an all-time high.

Hull and York family law firm, Rollits, reviewed the December 2023 family court statistics, which show that the five-year average for court cases to close is 34 weeks for private law (children and finance) cases - a figure which exceeds previous records.

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The pattern for the 2023 figures so far continues in this trajectory, as the average number of weeks taken to conclude a private law case in Q1 to Q3 of 2023 was 46 weeks, says Rollits.

Alison Benson, Partner and Head of Family at Rollits.Alison Benson, Partner and Head of Family at Rollits.
Alison Benson, Partner and Head of Family at Rollits.

As an alternative, the Family Mediation Council says it usually takes between three and five meetings to come to an agreement, depending on what needs to be sorted out.

Rollits has commented as part of Family Mediation Week (January 22 to 26), to let people know the process can be used for parenting arrangements for children; direct consultation with children; grandparent contact arrangements; financial issues including division of assets and income; pre-nuptial and post-nuptial issues; cohabitation; divorce and separation; and how to communicate with each other.

Alison Benson, Partner and Head of Family at Rollits, said, “Family law issues are almost always stressful for everyone involved, and have the potential to be incredibly divisive. If each individual situation does not receive the utmost care and bespoke treatment, it can leave families suffering irreparably.

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