Cost of mediationWhat exactly is the cost of mediation? Well, that depends on what currency we’re talking about.

Financially, with New Landscape Mediation the costs are pretty clear, and very easy to state. In June of 2016 we did an audit of the last 50 clients for whom we mediated an outcome, and found that the average cost of reaching a fully mediated set of proposals, including the provision of a highly detailed outcome document that could be made into a legally binding court order, was £975.00 per person (£1,950.00 per couple). Those clients for whom we only assist to create co-parenting plans/children’s arrangements, or those for whom we only helped to reach a financial settlement solution the costs were much lower.

But what about the other, hidden costs of mediation? What about the costs of putting aside one’s anger long enough to reach a settlement so you can get on with your life? What about the costs of holding one’s tongue around the children and not slagging off your ex (their other parent) in front of them? What about these costs, and to what degree are those costs worth it for you?

I’ll be honest, those hidden costs are very real. Sometimes mediating isn’t easy and I’m not ever going to pretend it is. Having said that, when we speak to those clients who have started mediation, and then felt that they would be better off taking their ex to court, the reports we get back are always the same. This quote below is a very typical example: “I appreciate all you tried to do for us, my final legal bill was £65k, hers must be similar. I would recommend you to anyone who was sensible enough to want to mediate.”

The point is, in the cold light of day it is our experience that the hidden costs, however high they may seem at the time, are worth it. Those who mediate do so because they wish to reach a solution inexpensively, and relatively quickly. They do so because they’d rather not spend a year or two reading and sending expensive solicitor letters, not to mention several thousand pounds of their savings or proceeds of their house sale (did you know the national average cost of a solicitor led divorce is £22,000 each?).

If you would like more information about the cost of mediation and how it can save you time, money and stress in the end, contact New Landscape Mediation on 01279 211 657 for a fully confidential, no obligation discussion of your needs.