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Fear and loathing at the Family Mediation Council
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The deadline's passed. Most of us didn't get there. By 'most of us' I'm identifying with the family lawyers who have trained as mediators and been mediating for thousands of couples over the years alongside their day-jobs as lawyers.
I've had several enquiries from other solicitors asking whether I can conduct a MIAM for their client. I've had to explain that I'm no longer qualified to do them. Not a good look frankly and I think it's bound to have some impact on my mediation practice and credibility as a mediator.
Very few family lawyers who act as mediators have troubled to become accredited over the years. There was no pressure to do so and we were allowed to conduct MIAMs once we'd undertaken the training. I trained as a mediator with Resolution in 1997. It was a course lasting 9 full days and I've been mediating ever since. Not to a great extent but regularly over the years. I also trained as a civil mediator so I feel comfortable with the civil model with solicitors and barristers in attendance. And more recently I...
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