Mediation

What disputes really involve

Disputes are rarely just about the issue on the table. They often involve a mix of legal or financial risk, organisational realities, competing interests, damaged relationships, personal pressures and uncertainty about the best way forward.

Sometimes the goal is a full and final settlement. Sometimes it’s repairing a working relationship that has broken down. Sometimes it’s creating enough clarity and understanding for people to decide what happens next. Sometimes it’s a combination of all three.

My role

My role is not to decide who is right or wrong, nor to persuade people to compromise. It is to help parties properly understand the issues, test assumptions, explore and assess options and make informed decisions about the way forward. Whether the context is employment, commercial or something else, the objective is not agreement at any cost. It is helping people reach an outcome they can all live with – and move forward from.

My mediation practice often falls into these areas. However, if you’re facing a dispute, conflict or difficult conversation that isn’t reflected here, I’m happy to discuss whether mediation might still be useful.

Workplace and employment

• Employment disputes and grievances

• Relationship breakdowns between colleagues, managers or senior leaders

• Workplace conflict affecting team performance

• Restorative conversations following conflict or complaints

Governance and organisational

• Governance tensions and board conflict

• Partnership or stakeholder disputes

• Disagreements about roles, responsibilities or expectations

Commercial and strategic

• Commercial disputes

• Situations at risk of escalation, formal process or litigation

• Difficult issues that people have been unable to resolve themselves

Relationship property, trust and estate matters

• Relationship property and financial arrangements following separation

• Trust, inheritance and estate disputes

• Difficult conversations between family members, beneficiaries and trustees

1. Initial conversation

We start with a discussion about the situation, the people involved and what a successful outcome might look like. This helps determine whether mediation is the right approach and how the process should be structured.

2. Preparation

I spend time understanding the issues before bringing people together. This may involve reviewing relevant information and meeting separately with participants and/or their representatives to hear their perspectives, understand what is important to them and answer any questions about the process. Mediation is a voluntary and confidential process, so this stage also helps ensure everyone understands how the process will work and what they can expect from it.

3. The conversation

The mediation itself is a structured and confidential conversation. We work through the issues, explore different perspectives, identify what matters most and consider and reality test options to move forward. Depending on the situation, this may involve a combination of joint discussions and private conversations.

4. Resolution and next steps

The goal is to help people make informed decisions about what happens next. That may be a formal settlement, a repaired relationship, agreed actions, or simply greater clarity about the available options and the best path forward.

What if we don't reach agreement?

Not every mediation ends with a formal agreement or settlement. But even where issues remain unresolved, participants often gain greater clarity, understanding and options for moving forward

We want to repair the relationship, not resolve a dispute. Is mediation still appropriate?

Absolutely. Mediation is not only for situations where people are parting ways. It can also be a highly effective way of helping people rebuild trust, improve communication, reset expectations and work through issues that have become difficult.

Sometimes I will refer to this as a facilitated conversation rather than a mediation. The process is often similar. The difference is that the focus is on strengthening the relationship rather than reaching a settlement.

Will I have to agree to something?

No. Mediation is voluntary. Any agreement belongs to the participants.

Will everything be confidential?

Mediation is conducted on a confidential basis, subject to any agreed exceptions.

Will you challenge us, or simply facilitate the conversation?

Mediation is not a passive process.

My role is not to decide who is right or impose a solution, but neither do I simply sit back and watch the conversation unfold.

I ask difficult questions, test assumptions, help people explore issues from different perspectives and reality-test possible ways forward. Often, the value lies in helping people hear something they have stopped hearing or see options they had not previously considered.

Is mediation just about getting people to compromise?

No. The aim is not compromise for its own sake. The aim is a practical outcome people can genuinely work with or live with. Of course, sometimes a solution involves compromise – but often with clearer boundaries, better understanding, changed behaviours or different ways of working together.

What if the other person isn't acting in good faith?

People often worry that mediation only works when everyone is reasonable and willing to compromise.

In my experience, most situations contain a mixture of frustration, misunderstanding, strong views and genuine concerns. Mediation is designed to help people work through those realities. Good faith helps, but it is not a prerequisite for having a productive conversation.

What if we don't like each other?

You don't need to like someone to work constructively with them.

Many mediations are not about friendship or reconciliation. They are about understanding what has happened, reducing the impact of conflict and finding a workable way forward.

Will you tell us who is right?

No. My role is not to judge the merits of each position or decide the outcome. My role is to help participants understand the issues, explore options and make informed decisions about the way forward

What if we've already tried talking about it?

Most people have. The challenge is usually not that the conversation hasn't happened. It's that it hasn't happened in a way that allows people to hear each other, explore what sits beneath the issue, or move beyond established positions. An independent mediator brings structure, perspective and a process that helps people have a different conversation.