“Online mediation can give couples much needed clarity and reassurance – all from the safety of their own homes”
BY DENISE LAVERTY
Coronavirus, COVID-19, whatever we know it by, has changed the way that we live in an unprecedented way. Schools have closed. The elderly and vulnerable have been told to hibernate for 12 weeks and the UK and Scottish governments have announced that, with the exception of certain key workers, we too must all remain at home.
The impact is far reaching. For many it feels like life as we know it has been placed on hold with no indication when it may return to some normality. For those currently going through a relationship breakdown, it can add yet another level of anxiety, stress and uncertainty.
Is the only option to sit and wait until the worst is over?
You might think that this is yet another thing that has to be placed on hold. You can’t meet with your lawyer, you can’t progress or raise a court action, is the only option to sit and wait until the worst is over?
The answer is no, there is an alternative.
Online family mediation
Most people who have heard of family mediation may have an image of the couple and the mediator sitting around a table.
While the preferred method of family mediation is for couples to meet with a professional mediator in a neutral location, we regularly work with couples who cannot be in the same room, often because they live in different parts of the world.
We’ve brought mediation online to give couples the opportunity to successfully sort out their separations, divorces, financial arrangements and arrangements for their children, from the comfort of their own home – using simple technology that the majority of us already have.
For some couples, they may already be living apart and in the middle of negotiating a settlement or court action which coronavirus has put on hold, when all they want to do is get on with the process. It can be distressing to think an unresolved situation will simply have to be put on hold for an unspecified period of time.
Even if you are in the middle of a court action or were about to raise an action you can still try mediation – it could help you reach a settlement before the courts even open their doors again. Online mediation is a proven and highly effective method to ease the strain and worry for people in these situations.
It can help couples successfully sort out their separations, divorces, financial matters and arrangements for their children, giving them much needed clarity and reassurance – all from the safety of their own homes.
Denise Laverty is Legal Director at Gilson Gray, specialising in all aspects of family law, with particular experience in cross UK border jurisdictional issues. She also specialises in dealing with armed forces divorce.
Denise has over 27 years’ experience in family law and is an accredited specialist in the area and an accredited family law mediator. She is qualified as a solicitor in both Scotland and in England and Wales, and has been recognised by the Chambers UK Guide for her impressive ability in the representation of matters.
Gilson Gray offers all of the technology to ensure that superior levels of mediation it offers to couples is available throughout the current lockdown – a vital lifeline for couples whose separation woes have been made more difficult by coronavirus.
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