FMC Representatives discussed how forthcoming changes in the court/family justice system aim to encourage mediation, as well as the origins and purpose of Family Mediation Week, and what mediators and others can do during family mediation week to help separating families better understand options for resolving issues.
Watch the recording here.
| Your speakers | |
 |
Mrs Justice Knowles was appointed a High Court Judge of the Family Division in October 2017. She was previously a Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber), having left a career at the Bar in family law, latterly as a Queen’s Counsel, to take up that appointment in July 2014. She is the lead judge for private law and domestic abuse. |
 |
John Taylor
Since qualifying as a Solicitor many years ago, John Taylor has spent a great deal of his time either resolving disputes (through mediation, litigation or arbitration), or doing his best to prevent them (through giving the right advice, at the right time). He has conducted mediations as a CEDR-accredited civil mediator. He sits as a Coroner, and much enjoys working as a Mentor to law students. He has delivered many well-received lectures and training sessions – in several countries – and written legal articles for the “Evening Standard”. John has been an independent director and Chair of the FMC since 2016. |
 |
Philippa Johnson
Like many mediators I have had a mixed bag of jobs and my path to becoming a mediator has been a winding one. I trained as a family mediator in 2012, having previously worked as a legal publisher with Sweet & Maxwell, as a freelance publishing consultant specializing in databases, as a law reporter for Jordans’ Family Law Reports, and as the administrator of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (now the IA of Family Lawyers). I still work in legal updating alongside my mediation work, now as the law reporter on Bloomsbury Publishing’s Family Court Reports. I have found the mediation community a warm and supportive one and in an attempt to help it stay that way I am a current Board member of the Family Mediators Association and a past Chair of FMA, I am part of the team delivering FMA Foundation Training to people wishing to become family mediators and I also deliver training courses to experienced mediators on behalf of FMA. I was very honoured to be one of the two editorial consultants who worked on the family mediation ‘bible’ Lisa Parkinson’s Family Mediation (4th edition) |
 |
Sarah Manning
Sarah Manning is a Partner at Hall Brown and practices as both a solicitor and mediator dealing with financial and children matters. Sarah is a hybrid mediator specialising in complex, high net worth mediation cases by utilising other professionals working with separated families. Sarah is also a trained child inclusive mediator and can speak to children within the mediation process if appropriate. |
