Family Mediation Week 2025 highlights the importance of resolving conflicts in a conciliatory manner during life’s most challenging transitions. Mediation offers separating couples a way for parties to reach their own arrangement as to what suits their individual situation and to prioritise what is important to them, ie. their children seeking to find common ground in a neutral confidential and non-adversarial setting with the help of a mediator who can help facilitate discussions.
The beginning of the year, often referred to as "divorce month" by family lawyers, typically sees a large increase in divorce filings. The emotional and financial pressures of the festive season, from busy family gatherings to mounting credit card bills, can highlight underlying issues in a relationship. For couples already experiencing difficulties, the intense focus on family togetherness during Christmas can highlight troubles and unresolved conflicts, ultimately forcing decisions to separate once the festivities end.
This is where mediation can play a critical role. By encouraging communication and enabling the parties to reach their own balanced solutions, mediation provides a pathway for former couples to communicate with each other for the benefit of themselves and any child of the family.
When contemplating divorce, parents face a number of important decisions. Beyond the emotional weight of ending their marriage, they will be considering matters such as where they and a child or children will live and/or how a child will spend their time with their parents.
Supporting Your Children’s Happiness Through Change
The well-being of a child is likely to be the parties’ priority and a mediator can help the parties discuss matters where they consider important matters such as communication and practical arrangements.
Creating a Stable Living Arrangement for Your Children
Mediation can help the parties discuss how a child will spend their time between their parents and how factors such as health, education, and religion (if any) are reached.
Managing Finances Fairly Following Separation
Mediation helps the parties discuss in a confidential environment on a voluntary basis, outside court proceedings, their open financial position and financial assets/liabilities, including pensions, to, hopefully, facilitate the parties discussing what may work in their individual circumstances.
How We Can Help
For more information, please call Kristy Underwood on 01293 596935 or email her at kristy.underwood@stevensdrake.com
Kristy joined stevensdrake in 2024. She has been advising clients and representing them in court since 1993.
Having worked in solicitors’ firms for over 30 years, she is experienced in all areas of family law and has a particular interest in family businesses, pensions and family matters relating to Armed Forces’ personnel, Teachers’ and Police officers. She holds Family Law Accreditation through The Law Society which is a recognised quality standard for family law practitioners.
She was admitted as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2003, as a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate in 2008 which gave her extended rights of audience in the family courts. In 2021 she was admitted as the only Chartered Legal Executive Litigator & Advocate in both family and litigation matters, which is particularly useful with separating couples who are unmarried.
Kristy deals with financial and children matters arising out of separation, divorce and civil partnerships. She is committed to resolving matters as amicably as possible and is also a qualified family mediator (working towards accreditation), an accredited civil & commercial mediator and an accredited workplace mediator utilising her knowledge of the full range of contentious matters. Mediation is a non advice based service.
Kristy is also a Resolution Together Neutral Lawyer where she is able to advise both parties in a separation at the same time, which can result in significant time and costs being saved through using one Lawyer rather than two. Having been a full member of Resolution for over 25 years, Kristy seeks to give realistic advice to her clients. She also sits on Resolution’s Standards and Training & Learning Committees.
Kristy holds Family Law Accreditation through The Law Society and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
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