Government to mandate mediation for separating couples

“Anything that helps steer families away from the protracted and costly experience of litigating in the family justice system is welcome provided suitable screening is built in for domestic abuse cases.

It’s only recently that domestic abuse in its various forms has been better recognised and understood in English family law and care must be taken not to undermine this with compulsory mediation. Encouragement through mediation for the parties to communicate directly in a safe and respectful mediation setting is otherwise a positive step, reducing costs and the impact of separation on all members of the family."

Deborah's comments were published in Lawyer Monthly, 23 March 2023, and can be found here.