Northwest Mediation
Commercial & Family Mediation and Individual Dispute Resolution

I began this blog by googling acronyms in mediation, as I'd come across a few unusual ones in recent reading. To be clear I try to avoid TLRs (wink) and other acronyms as clients tend to switch off if I start talking TOLATA, FMHs, OFS' and MOUs. But if I ever come across someone saying: “Let’s LSQ the issue, check everyone’s BATNA, keep SCARF in mind, and maybe run a bit of LARSQ before we PIECES it together.” I might just scream and walk out. To the uninitiated, this sou

Apologies for the rough copying and pasting but you have to read 121 pages of the report to get to the letter and the published version is behind a paywall but below please find the CC's letter which will go to all parents as they issue proceedings, not before of course that would be the best time to get it:- Dear parent, I know that going through a separation or divorce can be an incredibly challenging time, not only for you but importantly for your child too. As Children’s

I was doing some refresher reading (ok it was audible but it counts) this last week re-grounding and reminding myself of the basics "forms" of mediation, after more than 10 years you tend to blend your forms and mix and match during session seeing what works for each of the disputes and those involved. People with a more academic bent will say these are strictly different 5 (or some say 5.5) forms and the mediator will be one or the other, as a practitioner I'll tell you it's

I was watching some videos from Split Happens interviews with young adults and children who went through or are going through their parents' divorces. And it struck me that as each of them spoke about coming from a broken home, that this particular phrase still crops up in MIAMs all the time. I'm guilty of using the term as well, often referring to myself as a child of a broken home, but I do so knowing that was the prevailing view in the 80s when my parents separated. Was m

As much for backlinks as boosting the signal I've been working for Staffordshire Mediation Ltd for a few years now and we have finally relaunched the family element of that business as Familymediation.co.uk come and have a look and if you need help with any kind of dispute or mediation give me a call at either business.

From divorce court alternatives to nationwide judicial mediation drives and major labour disputes, mediation is reshaping how conflicts are resolved around the world. In this blog we explore real stories , including the rise of mediation initiatives globally  and negotiation highlights from the historic New York City nurses’ strike , to demonstrate how mediation techniques work in practice — offering better outcomes, saving time and money, and preserving relationships where i

As a geek from an early age I often find myself quoting either Trek or Star Wars, or if you're really lucky Babylon 5. If there’s one thing Star Trek  and Star Wars  (and other Sci Fi series) agree on, it’s this: conflict is inevitable. From trade disputes on distant planets to family feuds that literally split the galaxy, stories endure because tension exists. But what’s far more interesting—and far more useful in real life—is how conflict gets resolved. In our everyday worl

Starts Monday 26 January 2026 Every January, families across the UK face difficult decisions about separation, children, and finances. Family Mediation Week 2026 , running from Monday 26 January , shines a spotlight on a calmer, more constructive way to resolve family disputes — without the stress, cost, and conflict of court. If you’re going through a separation, divorce, or disagreement about children or finances, this week is an ideal time to explore how family mediation  

Midnight at the oasis? As the clock ticked down to midnight, the champagne began popping, someone somewhere shouted Hootananny little did we we know that the Commander in Cheese, Dumpty the President was watching his own clock tick down. Perhaps we should have been given a clue by the Doomsday clock in the trailers for the next Avengers' instalment was that a hint that the Orange Ego was about to nudge us closer to nuclear midnight than the world had been since the Cuban Miss

I didn't watch and don't intend to watch Traitors... It may seem heresy to say that I have no wish to watch celebs lie, cheat and backstab but I'm just not that convinced that encouraging people to think in terms of good/bad, traitor/faithful, pro/anti, remain/leave, red/blue has ever been helpful. Yes I appreciate it is a show for entertainment but when the world is in quite the mess it is from thinking only in binary terms which seemingly increasingly thrives on polarizatio

For decades the family courts in England and Wales have started from an assumption — explicit in guidance and expressed in practice — that children usually benefit from ongoing contact with both parents after separation. That “pro-contact” stance has delivered better outcomes in many situations, but there is growing evidence and public pressure that a blunt presumption can do real harm when safety, coercive control or ongoing risk are present. The government has now moved to

Introduction I've been tasked with a bit a research so this week I've been looking in more detail at disputes between co-owners of...

It's been a while dear reader, yes it's because of the merging of my practice with Staffordshire Mediation and the formation of...

In a world where romance collides with reality, the prenuptial agreement is often viewed as the elephant in the honeymoon suite. While...

Sometimes you try to mediate and for reasons outside your control (or those of the parties) stops it in it's tracks. Recently I had an...

Why, someone let's call him, Donald Is a Terrible Mediator When you think of effective mediators, you picture someone calm, impartial,...

Inheritance disputes can be emotionally charged and financially draining, often leading to prolonged legal battles that strain family...

Introduction In an increasingly complex world, conflicts are inevitable. Whether in business, personal relationships, or legal matters,...

So I asked our friendly neighbourhood chatgpt bot to tell me about the benefits of AI for mediation, what follows is the now heavily...

The great Ian Smith (Harold Bishop) was interviewed this week about his life, his cancer and his pivotal role in Oz's greatest export...