No. For many people mediation can be the right approach, but it is not suitable for everyone. You have to trust your spouse or partner to be open and honest, especially in producing financial information. You also have to feel safe in the mediation process, so it is rarely appropriate if there is any domestic abuse or too much of a power imbalance in the relationship. Before court proceedings can be issued – either about money or children – you will usually be expected to attend a meeting about mediation to ensure you have information about the process. This is called a MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting). However, we will usually have discussed whether mediation is right for you at the beginning of your case, long before you decide that you want to start court proceedings. In some situations a MIAM is not needed, such as if proceedings need to be started urgently or if there has been domestic abuse.