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Yorkshire Times
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2:17 PM 29th March 2021
family

Langleys Solicitors Joins Government Scheme To Provide Much-needed Relief To Yorkshire Families

 
Langleys Solicitors based in Yorkshire has joined the government’s £1 million family law voucher scheme in order to promote the use of alternate dispute resolutions that will benefit hundreds of families across the region.

The new scheme will allow more families to access additional funds to help them cover the cost of using out of court mediation to solve family-based disputes instead of partaking in, what can be, a lengthy legal process.

Mediation has previously been unattainable for a large percentage of low-income families, who narrowly miss out on qualifying for legal aid, as covering legal costs adds additional stress during what is usually a vulnerable time.

The benefit of promoting out of court settlements is twofold, as not only does it offer affordable access to out of court settlement, but it also helps to alleviate the mounting pressure that has been placed on the family courts during the pandemic.

Out of court mediation creates a safe space for families who can be going through a traumatic dispute while also reducing the negative impact on any children that may otherwise have been caught in the middle. Additionally, it will help to decrease the number of litigants who decide to go to court without any legal representation due to the high cost, which placed them at high risk of having their needs misrepresented.

Emma Lawler, senior family lawyer at Langleys Solicitors, said: “There are undisputable benefits in making mediation more affordable, especially in the cases where children are involved as it is a much better option for families, allowing them more privacy, flexibility and a faster solution to problems that may arise.”