Legal
Disclaimer
Mediation Guide exists to explain family mediation, separation and the family court clearly and honestly. This page is equally honest about the limits of what a website can do for you. Please read it before relying on anything published here.
The site is published by Family Legal Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 16431127, the team behind Mediate UK and Family Law Service.
Information, not legal advice
Every guide, table, figure and tool on this site is general information. None of it is legal advice, and none of it is a substitute for advice about your own circumstances from a qualified professional. Legal advice means a solicitor or barrister applying the law to the facts of your case; a website cannot know those facts.
Reading this site, or contacting us through it, does not create a solicitor and client relationship, a mediator and client relationship, or any other professional relationship with Family Legal Ltd or with anyone who writes for or reviews the site.
England and Wales only
Our content describes the law and court process of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems with different rules on divorce, children and finances, and different mediation arrangements. If you live in, or your case is connected to, Scotland, Northern Ireland or another country, the guidance here may not apply to you.
How we try to keep content accurate
Every page is reviewed and fact-checked before publication by Chris Yaffes, an FMC-accredited family mediator (FMC URN 0961A), and each guide lists its sources and shows the date it was last reviewed. Our editorial policy explains the standards we work to and how corrections are handled.
Even so, we cannot guarantee that every page is complete, current or free of error at the moment you read it. If you spot something wrong, please tell us through the contact page and we will check it and correct it where needed.
Fees and the law change
Court fees, legal aid rules, the family mediation voucher scheme and the law itself all change, sometimes at short notice. We state the date figures were checked, but a page can fall out of date between reviews. Before paying a fee or making a decision that depends on a figure, check the current position on gov.uk: the official family court fees list (EX50) is the authoritative source for what a court application costs.
Our tools give estimates, not advice
The free calculators, checklists and planners on this site are designed to help you think a situation through. Their outputs are estimates and prompts based on the information you enter and on typical figures, not advice, valuations or predictions of what a court or mediator would decide. Treat a tool’s result as a starting point for a conversation, not as an answer to rely on by itself.
When to get professional help
Some situations need a professional rather than a website. Speak to a solicitor if you need advice on your legal position, if you have received court papers or a deadline, if there has been domestic abuse, or before signing any binding agreement about money or property. If you want help reaching an agreement with your former partner, an accredited family mediator is usually the place to start, and you can find one near you through the Family Mediation Council’s find a mediator search.
Our guide to how family mediation works explains what to expect from that first step.
Liability
To the extent the law allows, Family Legal Ltd accepts no liability for loss or damage arising from reliance on the information or tools on this site. Nothing in this disclaimer excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Our terms of use set out the full position.