Divorce or separation, don't run to lawyer's, run to the National Family Mediation Service

With the 1st of April rapidly approaching, most legal aid is about to end. Lord Neuberger commented to the BBC,

"I think we need to be careful not always to run to the lawyer when we think we've got a problem."

Lawyers come with expensive legal fees until now paid for by legal aid, but soon to become the problem of the respondents. A cheaper alternative to solicitors is the Family Mediation Service, where the fees are a fraction of the cost which the parties share equally.

Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court and the UK's senior judge has a vast amount of experience in these matters. His comments follow the sweeping changes to end legal aid in the majority of cases of divorce, separation and family dispute.

The National Family Mediation Service offers an affordable alternative to either paying large solicitor's bills or trying to fight the case themself. Family mediation has been in existence since April 2011 and has successfully worked with the courts and solicitors, to resolve disputed cases of divorce and separation.

The Government has made these moves try and save £350m a year on legal costs, and the top judge continues,

"This will mean that court hearings will last longer, the burden on court staff and judges will increase,"

If Lord Neuberger can envisage the potential chaos these cuts could make, it is easy to see how legal costs can escalate, leaving vulnerable people facing massive debts in order to get justice.

The National Family Mediation Service work's with both parties, either individually or together to resolve all disputes their divorce or separation may bring. After an assessment, they draw up an estimate of costs and both parties usually pay half each. This service is usually a fraction of the costs of litigation and decision are made by the parties to the mediation and not by the Courts. Mediation is not only cheaper but quicker and less stressful than litigation, allowing the parties to move on with their lives sooner than they would if they were involved in long drawn out and often protracted legal proceedings.

The public feel comfortable knowing they can seek justice with legal aid, which help's put them on a level playing field with those who can afford large legal fees. Taking this resource away from them will mean, as Lord Neuberger said,

"...or it will lead to people taking the law into their own hands."

Whether this means they will resort to illegal actions or clog up the courts as they try to resolve disputes for free, will only be known as the situation develops. The whole position has the potential of returning to the fear and distrust that was rife in the justice system prior to legal aid's introduction.

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National Family Mediation Service Prepared for Changes

"Read all about it! Government changes to legal aid funding means 200,000+ cases must pay their own legal fees."

In April 2013, the Government are introducing new legal aid rules that stop funding to all but the most serious cases. This means, for those contesting a divorce or separation through the court, they will pay their own legal fees. Solicitors charge between £150 to £200 an hour, it does not take a genius to work-out how expensive it can become.

However, it is not all doom and gloom, since April 2011 it has been compulsory for disputing couples to attend a minimum of one mediation session. The new rules allow for details, of divorce or separation, to be settled through a third party mediation service; this saves valuable court time and expensive solicitors fees. The National Family Mediation Service (NFMS) is an established mediation company working closely with solicitors; they have a wealth of experience in the field of family disputes.

The introduction of family mediation was to save tax payers money and try to stop the spread of 'the claim culture'. Anyone finding they are in this unpleasant situation, will now benefit from the new rules, using family mediation as an alternative to solicitors; and without the prospect of an excessive legal bill.

Mediation the new resolution to family proceedings

Mediators work closely with solicitors to resolve matters in a fair and effective way; with the best interests of everyone being the focus. They spend time with both parties negotiating the details, without using expensive solicitors. Once they arrive at a satisfactory conclusion for all parties, the agreement is presented to the court.

Unfortunately, mediation is not free. The fee is calculated before the process starts, and, although it is not an exact art it provides a good indication of the overall cost. Those costs are divided equally between the parties. The negotiations take place away from the drama of the court, so they are less stressful. Another benefit of mediation is neither solicitors nor legal representatives need to be present at the sessions; keeping the cost down further.

The National Family Mediation Service has a network of offices across the country so there will be no difficulty finding one. For more information and a list of offices, visit the website http://www.nationalfamilymediationservice.co.uk.

National Family Mediation Service has offices across the UK and specialises in Family Mediation matters and is accredited by the Family Mediation Service. Call on 0800 862 0502.

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CCU Debuts Enhanced Learning Management System

Over the course of this year, CCU will be rolling out a new learning management system, switching to Blackboard in an effort to create an enhanced learning experience for students. The Blackboard system will create a more streamlined integration between faculty and students, including a mobile app that allows students to check updates, watch video, or receive notifications on their cell phones.

"Our first priority was to improve the learning experience for students," said Sarah Scherling, assistant vice president of Academic Administration for CCU's College of Adult and Graduate Studies (CAGS). "We wanted a seamless learning management system that was intuitive to operate and could deliver content to our robust online courses, as well as to supplement in-seat courses."

The Blackboard system will allow various courses to become less text-dependent, as content can be delivered through various media. While curriculum will stay the same, the student experience will not.

"Blackboard allows us to take a static experience and provide students more dynamic engagement," said Jason Drysdale, coordinator of instructional technology at CAGS. "It gives course designers a lot of opportunity to expand what students see and experience in their courses." For example, professors will have the opportunity to share messages or lectures by recording video directly in Blackboard. Elsewhere, threaded discussions will appear as a timeline, a format made popular by Facebook.

Additionally, staff will be able to run analytics and follow up with struggling students quickly and effectively while in the system. Overall, Blackboard will drastically reduce manual operations.

The decision to change learning management systems has been over a year in the making. In October 2011, CCU began examining systems in use in educational and business contexts, finally narrowing down to the top five contenders. After discussing criteria with these primary options, staff pored through literally hundreds of pages of research, and then presented the top three to stakeholders within the University. Blackboard was selected after months of examining data and discussing needs throughout CCU.

The new Blackboard system will become universal throughout the calendar year as CAGS moves to the system gradually, and the College of Undergraduate Studies switches before the 2013-14 school year.

For more details please visit: http://www.ccu.edu/

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