At the National Family Mediation Service we are sensitive to the needs of all participants. It is however not our place to cast judgments over who is right or wrong in any dispute. Nevertheless, our mediators are trained to act sympathetically and with complete impartiality so that the best practicable solution can be reached quickly and with the least stress. Our mediation services in Birmingham provide a less formal, much cheaper alternative to resolving a family dispute in court. Nobody wants to go to court - so mediation can be seen as a sensible and more efficient way of settling various kinds of disputes that are likely to affect families. Because mediation encourages each individual involved to discuss their concerns openly without the need for lawyers to intervene, it is an extremely beneficial way for the parties to communicate and to reach agreement. The informality and openness of mediation is fundamentally why mediation has become a successful and popular way of resolving disputes.