Elaine Richardson
As well as being a family mediator since 2011, I am also an experienced family solicitor and collaborative lawyer. I have been involved in family law for over 30 years. I will be able to share the information that I have gained and my experience with you.
I can sort things out because I am a specialist in family breakdown, separation and conflict resolution. I appreciate that separating is painful, difficult and frustrating. In mediation, I can start conversations and achieve improvements in communication between you and your former partner so that you can make practical decisions that feel fair and get on with your lives.
All my mediation services are now online using Zoom virtual meetings. I am experienced in mediating online. It is quick to schedule, no travel time is needed, no travel costs are incurred and location is no obstacle.
I mediate all family issues, including (but not limited to) separation, divorce, cohabitation, children’s issues and finances. I offer different types of mediation including separate spaces mediation (where people sit in separate rooms) and hybrid mediation (where I can hold confidences and solicitors are involved in the mediation process). I am also qualified to meet with children in the mediation process, independently of their parents, if this is agreed.
I am an accredited mediator, which means that I have successfully completed an advanced portfolio-based exam with The Law Society. Therefore, I am able to sign court application forms, should you require me to do so.
I supervise mediators as their Professional Practice Consultant (‘PPC’) and I supervise lawyers as their Family Law Supervisor. I train other family justice professionals as a trainer for Resolution.
I am a long standing member of Resolution, a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way. I am a national committee member of the Dispute Resolution section of Resolution and I have been chair of two local branches. I was a member of the national Family Law Committee of the Law Society for 9 years. All this experience means that I have extensive and up to date knowledge about the family justice system.
I am recognised nationally as a family law expert and in 2019 I was the winner of the Resolution John Cornwell Award, which recognises a family law practitioner who has gone above and beyond to support separating families in a non-confrontational manner.
I am listed in Chambers and Partners, the world’s leading legal rankings and insights intelligence company, for 2022/2023 and the link is here - https://chambers.com/lawyer/elaine-richardson-uk-1:519760 .
You can access more information about mediation and look at my listings on the website of the Family Mediation Council (FMC) at https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/ and the website of Resolution (First for Family Law) at http://www.resolution.org.uk/ .
Matthew Richardson
Matthew is a family law specialist barrister mediator practising from Coram Chambers, London and is able to assist with all family law issues in mediation.
Matthew appreciates the pressure and anxiety that can come with the prospect of legal proceedings and therefore offers his services as a mediator in order to provide people with an effective and manageable alternative. From his work advising and assisting clients in litigation Matthew has seen first-hand how difficult it can be when the decision-making power over a case is handed over to the courts, where the amount of time and expense needed to get a case sorted out can become completely disproportionate, and the outcome can be something that neither party would have chosen.
As a barrister Matthew is ranked as a leading junior (‘junior’ barristers being all barristers who are not QCs) by the Legal 500 and in 2018 he was a finalist for the Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year award at the Family Law Awards. The Legal 500 say he ‘is capable of dissecting complicated issues and delivering them to the court and client in a simple way.’
A big part of Matthew’s reputation is built on his ability to listen and understand people on a personal level, to help them communicate what’s really important, and to therefore help find bespoke, practical solutions to difficult cases. Matthew is systematic and sensitive in his approach and is very good at breaking down problems into manageable pieces. Known also for the sense of calm he brings, Matthew uses these skills effectively in his mediation practice, where he recognises that the barriers to effective and lasting solutions - miscommunication and misunderstanding - can be more easily overcome.
Key outcomes for Matthew are to help both parties to be heard and understood, to help both parties focus on the problems that need sorting, and to help both parties find something that will work for the future.
Matthew has been trained as an all issues mediator by Resolution, where he also sits as vice-chair of one of their national committees.
Matthew is a regular speaker at seminars and legal training events, covering a wide range of topics including pensions on divorce, high-conflict children matters, applied psychology in the family law context, as well as mental health and wellbeing. Matthew also writes regularly for a variety of publications including the Family Law Journal and Family Law Week, and in 2019 he was a finalist for the Family Law Commentator of the Year at the Family Law Awards.
You can read about Matthew’s practice as a barrister and mediator on his chambers website here
Matthew offers mediation in London, Liverpool, Manchester and the Wirral and Lisa will help co-ordinate appointments via Matthew’s clerks at Coram Chambers.