Mediate UK

Mediate UK is the family mediation brand of Family Legal Ltd and the business from which Family Law Service and the company’s other brands developed. It began in October 2011 as Surrey Mediation Service and is, in the company’s words, the brand that “came first”.[1][2] Mediation is delivered by mediators individually registered with the Family Mediation Council, and the company holds a Legal Aid Agency family mediation contract.[2][1] A full reference article is published on Mediate UK Wiki, whose page Family Law Service describes this service from the mediation brand’s side.

Family Law Service and Mediate UK are two trading names of one company with two price lists and two kinds of work. Mediate UK helps couples reach agreement; Family Law Service sells fixed-price documents, court forms, preparation and solicitor advice, mostly to people who already have an agreement or who are going to court.[1][3][4] A client of either brand is under no obligation to use the other. This page records the relationship as the company describes it and where the two overlap.

Written by Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK and Associate Member of Resolution. Reviewed by Belinda Atkins, Managing Director of Mediate UK. Last reviewed 6 September 2026; last updated 6 September 2026; next scheduled review March 2027.

What Mediate UK is

Mediate UK conducts Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings, the meetings most applicants must attend before a family court application, and joint family mediation about children and finances, mainly online.[3] Its outcome documents, a memorandum of understanding and an open financial statement, are not legally binding, and the company sells a consent order package in which a solicitor turns them into a court order; that package is drafted by Rachel Adams and Emma Kirkland of DFA Law LLP, the same solicitors who deliver Family Law Service’s regulated products.[3][5][6] The company’s history, locations, legal aid position, published data and reception are covered on Mediate UK Wiki and are not repeated here.

How the two brands differ

Mediate UK and Family Law Service compared, September 2026
AspectMediate UKFamily Law Service
Core workFamily mediation: MIAMs and joint sessions[3]Fixed-fee documents, court forms, preparation, solicitor advice[7][8]
StartedOctober 2011 (as Surrey Mediation Service)[1]November 2025[1]
Standards bodyFamily Mediation Council registers the individual mediators[2]None for the company; SRA for the partner firm’s solicitors[6][9]
Public fundingLegal Aid Agency family mediation contract[2]None; legal aid does not apply to its products
PricesPer person, quoted plus VAT[3][10]Per product, quoted including VAT[11]
Consent order£1,649 plus VAT per person, solicitor drafted, with up to four hours of mediation[3]£499 including VAT, paralegal drafted, no mediation; £2,499 solicitor drafted with a 90-minute mediator meeting[4][12]
Complaints escalationFamily Mediation Standards Board[13]SRA for solicitor work; consumer law for unregulated work[13]

The regulatory frameworks are different in kind. Family mediation is regulated through the individual mediator’s registration and accreditation with the Family Mediation Council, and no organisation is accredited; legal services are regulated through authorised persons and firms under the Legal Services Act 2007, and Family Law Service sits outside that regime except where a solicitor of DFA Law LLP does the work.[2][14][6]

Referrals and shared people

The brands refer to one another. Mediate UK’s legal advice page states that its one-hour package, at £250 plus VAT, “can be purchased online through our sister company, Family Law Service”; the same page also lists a two-hour package and a review of a memorandum of understanding.[10] Family Law Service’s premium consent order includes “a 90-minute facilitated meeting with an independent mediator” and a memorandum of understanding, which is mediation work, and its site lists Mediate UK among its associations.[12][6] Jess Knauf holds roles in both: Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK and co-founder of Family Law Service.[15][16] The description of the mediator in the premium package as “independent” is the company’s; the mediator is supplied by the same company.[12]

Comparable products and prices

The two brands price the same end product, a consent order, in three ways. Mediate UK’s package is £1,649 plus VAT per person and includes a MIAM, up to four hours of joint mediation, the outcome documents and a solicitor-drafted order with court filing, including a pension sharing annex where needed.[3] Family Law Service’s online clean break consent order is £499 including VAT for a paralegal-drafted order with Form A and D81, without mediation or advice, and only where there is one property, no business and no pension share or spousal maintenance.[4] Its premium consent order is £2,499 including VAT, solicitor drafted, with a mediator meeting and court submission.[12] The court fee of £62 for an application by consent applies in each case.[17] Solicitor advice is £250 plus VAT through Mediate UK and £299 including VAT through Family Law Service, each described as a 20-minute consultation with a written report.[10][18]

See also

References

  1. Our history. Family Legal Ltd. States “Family Law Service launched in November 2025, co-founded by Jess Knauf, to sit between full solicitor representation and self-representation with a published price for every piece of work”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  2. About Family Legal Ltd. Family Legal Ltd. States “Family Legal Ltd is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and does not claim to be”; VAT number GB 504 2090 38. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  3. Consent order package. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). £1,649 plus VAT per person (tier 1) and £1,799 plus VAT per person (tier 2); solicitor drafted; includes up to four hours of mediation. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  4. Online clean break consent order. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £499 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; paralegal-drafted; Form A and D81 included; free redraft guarantee; suitable only where there is one property, no business and no pension share or spousal maintenance. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  5. Our solicitors. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). Names Rachel Adams (SRA 452750) and Emma Kirkland (SRA 415571) of DFA Law LLP. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  6. About us. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Regulatory statement; SRA number 484839 shown for solicitors providing legal advice; names the team. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  7. Property and finances: services and prices. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company price list as at 6 September 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  8. Child arrangements: services and prices. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company price list as at 6 September 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  9. Solicitors Register: DFA Law LLP, SRA number 484839. Solicitors Regulation Authority. Licensed body since 1 April 2021, authorised for all legal services; head office 2 Waterside Way, Northampton NN4 7XD; no published decisions. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  10. Legal advice packages. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). One hour legal £250 plus VAT; states the package “can be purchased online through our sister company, Family Law Service”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  11. Fixed fee family law and divorce help. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Company home page; footer regulatory statement; telephone 0333 339 5505; ICO ZC018853; “All prices include VAT”; describes Jess Knauf as “our co-founder”. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  12. Premium consent order. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £2,499 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; drafted by the named solicitors; includes a 90-minute facilitated meeting with a mediator, court submission and a redraft guarantee. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  13. Complaint policy. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). Acknowledgement within 5 working days; full written response within 28 days; complaints within 6 months; SRA route for solicitor work; Family Mediation Standards Board for mediation; consumer law for unregulated services. January 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  14. Legal Services Act 2007, section 12: meaning of reserved legal activity. legislation.gov.uk. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  15. About Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK. Mediate UK (Family Legal Ltd). States “Co-founder of Family Law Service”; Resolution Associate Member. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  16. Leadership. Family Legal Ltd. Names Amber Carter, Belinda Atkins, Jess Knauf and Danielle Day with titles. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  17. Family court fees (EX50). HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Fee 5.1, application by consent for a financial order, £62; Children Act 1989 section 8 application £270; divorce application (fee 1.2) £628. updated 13 July 2026. Accessed 5 September 2026.
  18. Legal advice: finances, 1 hour. Family Law Service (Family Legal Ltd). £299 including VAT as at 6 September 2026; described as a 20-minute telephone consultation with a solicitor plus a written report. Accessed 5 September 2026.

This article is part of Family Law Service Wiki, published by Family Legal Ltd, the company that trades as Family Law Service. It is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 6 September 2026. About this site and editorial policy · Report an error.