Reduced Fixed Rate Fees for Mediation at SRB

When you are separating or divorcing, particularly in difficult financial times, you need assistance to resolve your financial future and arrangements for your children in a cost-efficient way.

We are offering fixed fee, reduced rate Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings and Mediation at £230 (including VAT and one ID Fee).

The Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) will help you and your former Partner understand if Mediation is for you in your separate MIAMs. In Mediation, we can help you to talk to each other, listen, find solutions, and document the solutions in a Memorandum of Understanding.

Mediation Rates 2025

Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM)	1 hour per person	£230 (including VAT and one ID Fee) per person
Mediation	Mediation Meeting for 1.5 hours	£262.50 plus VAT per person
Mediation Hourly Rate		£175 plus VAT per person

Mediation helps you talk to each other, to find solutions that work.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Solicitor, Family and Collaborative Lawyer or a member of the Family Law Team in Twickenham and Teddington, on 020 8891 6141 or email familyteam@srb.co.uk.

Capital Gains Tax Changes for Divorce or Dissolution of Civil Partnership Couples

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) can be incurred on the sale or disposal of an asset where the sale or disposal price is higher than the purchase price. However, CGT is changing how it impacts separating couples.

Our Family Law team will look at the changes to Capital Gains Tax and how it impacts separating couples and cohabitees.

Current Rules

The Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 decided that couples who are married or in a civil partnership and living together can transfer assets between themselves free from CGT until the end of the tax year of separation.

It is often difficult for a separating couple with the emotions of separation to even be aware of the tax implication and to agree or achieve an order of the court and transfer the asset within the tax year of separation. After the end of the tax year of separation, the CGT exemption would no longer be available for transfer between the former spouses, incurring CGT on the transfer as if the asset was sold at full market value and possibly incurring the CGT charge.

Draft Finance Bill (No.2) 2023

It is proposed that there will be changes relaxing the CGT between separating couples to extend the “no gain, no loss” treatment. The Draft Finance Bill (No.2) is at the Report State in the House of Commons as of 7 June 2023.

It is important to understand that the proposed new rules do not avoid tax on any later disposal of the asset, as the acquiring spouse will inherit the purchase cost of the disposing spouse. The acquiring spouse may still have CGT on the future disposal of the asset. The asset would be acquired “pregnant” with the CGT liability.

It is proposed that:

1. Transfers between spouses or civil partners of capital assets in the tax year of separation or in the subsequent 3 tax years, will not incur a CGT liability.
2. Any transfer between spouses or civil partners of capital assets as a result of a court-approved order will not trigger a disposal for CGT purposes at any time (even if more than three tax years after the tax year that they stop living together), as long as the disposal is pursuant to that order. This provision underlines the importance of ensuring terms of settlement are drawn up in a legally binding financial order.
3. If a spouse or civil partner transfers their interest in the former family home to the other party in consideration of receiving a percentage of the net proceeds on sale, or if they retain their interest but vacate the property to enable a deferred sale, they are able to apply the same tax treatment to their share of the sale proceeds when received as those at the time of the transfer or departure from the home, as though paragraphs 1 and 2 above apply.
4. If a spouse or civil partner retains an interest in the former family home they have an option, subject to conditions, to treat the period of no longer residing in the family home as if it had been their only or main residence until the time of disposal and then claim private residence relief (PRR) when that interest is sold to a 3rd party.

Impact on Cohabitees

Cohabitees, no matter the length of their relationship or time living together, who are not married or in a civil partnership will not benefit from any of the above provisions whether current or proposed.

Independent Legal and Tax Advice

Separating couples should always take good legal and tax advice on financial matters relating to the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership. The impact on those who have a dual tax residence needs to take particular care with specialist advice. For example, a US citizen owning a UK property may be entitled to claim private residence relief on a transfer of the property between spouses in the UK, however, the US tax authority does not recognise the same exemption and therefore a transfer may give rise to a CGT liability in the US.

In all cases, it is important that CGT is considered at an early stage and proper advice is obtained.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Solicitor, Family and Collaborative Lawyer or a member of the Family Law Team in Twickenham and Teddington, on 020 8891 6141 or email familyteam@srb.co.uk.

The Co-Parent Hub: Resources

The Hub is a resource for parents created by Children and Family CourtAdvisory and Support Service (Cafcass), The Ministry of Justice and OnePlusOne. Parents can find information about Separated Parents Information Programme (SPIP), “Getting It Right for Children” Programme, create Parenting Plans and information to support families during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions is included with Articles and links to other websites. Parents are encouraged to set private parenting and co-parenting goals and measure their progress.

The Family Team recommend this excellent resource for parents.

https://cafcass.clickrelationships.org/

If you would like Advice and Information about Relationship Preparation or Breakdown, Separation, Divorce, Parenting Arrangements for Your Children, Finances, Planning for the Future and Your Options for Finding a Solution whether in an Initial Advice Meeting or Options Information Meeting where we can consider using: Personal Negotiation, Solicitor Negotiation, the Collaborative Process, Mediation, Independent Neutral Evaluation, Arbitration or the Court Process or a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting to consider whether you and your former Partner wish to consider working with me in Mediation.

Please contact Lisa Broddle, Partner, Head of the Family Team, Family and Collaborative Lawyer and Accredited Mediator or a member of the Family Team, who will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Please call 020 8891 6141 or email familyteam@srb.co.uk

Working together to achieve a “Good Divorce”
The Right Team, Support with Understanding, the Best Advice and Information.

Online Video Meetings for Initial Advice Meetings

Online Video Meetings for Initial Advice Meetings, Options Meetings, Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings and Mediation at Stone Rowe Brewer LLP

Whilst we have always conducted Online Video Meetings, this has been infrequently. We are all working in different ways, rather than the traditional office-based face to face meetings. Whilst I still consider that there is a greater understanding and rapport in a face to face meeting, an Online Video Meeting can be more cost-effective for a client as they do not have the issue of arranging time off work to travel to the meeting in addition to the meeting itself and choice of Solicitor or Mediator can be wider as the location is less of an issue.

Will we be working more in Online Video Meetings when we return to normality? A face to face meeting is best for mutual understanding and building a working relationship, but it will be a service that we will continue to offer to our clients. Whilst we can work remotely, access to paper files, office equipment and colleagues all mean that the legal work can be undertaken more quickly and efficiently in the office.

We are offering an Initial Advice Meeting in an Online Video Meeting. Another alternative is an Options Information Meeting where we provide general information and process options rather than specific advice and your circumstances are not applied to the law. This may be what you are looking for before making a decision about the Best Process and Next Steps.

Mediation with an Online Video Meeting has additional complexities as we are connecting with three people and we all want to ensure we are able to see each other clearly to understand both the verbal and non-verbal information. Observing and using body language is an important tool in engagement and understanding in Mediation. Both Participants need to be proceeding at the right pace both factually and emotionally, to be able to understand and participate fully to find solutions together. Online Video Mediation is particularly helpful if the two Participants are in different locations. To ensure it works effectively, any paperwork will need to be provided in advance of the Mediation.

For all Online Video Meetings the Administrative Formalities will need to be undertaken before the meeting as follows:

1. Conflict of Interest Checks.
2. Payment on account of costs for the Meeting and the ID Searches.
3. Identity Verification (Passport, Photo Driving Licence, two other forms of ID which are no more than 3 months old to verify your address: bank statement, credit card, utility bill or council tax demand) and Searches.
4. Preparation, Client Signature and return to us of Terms and Conditions of Business or Agreement to Mediate.
5. Exchange of Digital Contact Information for Skype or another provider.
6. Booking the Meeting to take place in a quiet and undisturbed place where we will invite the participants to join the Meeting.

If you would like Advice and Information about Relationship Preparation or Breakdown, Separation, Divorce, Parenting Arrangements for Your Children, Finances, Planning for the Future and Your Options for Finding a Solution whether in an Initial Advice Meeting or Options Information Meeting where we can consider using: Personal Negotiation, Solicitor Negotiation, the Collaborative Process, Mediation, Independent Neutral Evaluation, Arbitration or the Court Process or a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting to consider whether you and your former Partner wish to consider working with me in Mediation.

Please call 020 8891 6141 or email our family team here.