This webinar, hosted by Rhys Taylor, will bring together four leading mediators to talk about the art of advocacy in the mediation context. The webinar will be in two parts, with the first instalment at 12 noon to 1pm on Wednesday 23rd April 2025. Topics will include:

• The basics of Hybrid and Civil and Commercial Mediation.
• The rise of ADR/NCDR in the FPR and CPR
• The role of the lawyer in mediation
• Pitching ADR/NCDR to your client
• Appointing a mediator
• Preparation for the mediation
• The lawyer’s role and duties in the mediation

REGISTER HERE

SPEAKERS

Rhys Taylor, The 36 Group

Rhys Taylor specialises in financial remedies. He is listed in Chambers and Partners as a leading DR practitioner, regularly accepting appointments as a private FDR tribunal, arbitrator or mediator. Rhys is a contributing editor of the Red Book and editor of the Financial Remedies Journal. He is co-author of Pensions on Divorce: A Practitioner’s Handbook (4th edition 2025, Class Legal). He is a member of the Pension Advisory Group. He is a barrister member of the Family Procedure Rule Committee and a member of the sub-committee of the Online Procedure Rule Committee. Rhys sits as a family Recorder and is authorised to sit as a Deputy High Court Judge.

Karin Walker, KGW Family Law

Karin Walker is a solicitor, mediator, collaborative practitioner, arbitrator, trainer, published author and founder of award winning niche family law practice ‘KGW Family Law’ based in Woking Surrey.

A former chair of Resolution’s dispute resolution committee (2014-2017), Karin is passionate about assisting clients resolve their issues without the need to involve the court system. Alongside Suzanne Kingston she provides training in hybrid mediation for Resolution.

Karin has developed a specialism in cases involving Narcissistic abuse and lectures regularly on this and other topics around the country. She also hosts the highly successful podcast ‘How to leave a narcissist – a practical guide’.

Karin is Junior Warden elect of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators

Suzanne Kingston, Penningtons Manches Cooper

Suzanne is widely known for her expertise in all aspects of family work, in particular the resolution of complex financial issues for high net worth individuals. Suzanne’s cases often have an international element and she has considerable experience in dealing with prenuptial agreements and cohabitation issues. Often referred to as “the Queen of Arbitration and Mediation’, Suzanne has a thriving mediation and arbitration practice and teaches both. She is credited with spearheading family law arbitration in England and Wales and worldwide.

Suzanne is ranked as a leading individual in the Legal 500 for Family and as Hall of Fame for Family Mediation with the following testimonials “I think Suzanne Kingston is a wonderful mediator, particularly in high conflict private law children and financial proceedings and she is ably supported by the rest of her team. Suzanne – a pleasure to deal with, all over the detail, fantastic client care skills and one of the very best mediators in family law‘.

Suzanne won the prestigious Family Lawyer of the Year Spears Wealth Management in 2015, lawyer of the year at Citywealth in 2016 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at Citywealth Magic Circle awards and in 2021 she was one of the few family lawyers to feature in the top 100 private client lawyers Citywealth leaders list.

Quotes about Suzanne:

"Suzanne is really creative and innovative, and she is so thoughtful and knowledgeable. She is someone I really trust; I would hire her in a flash."

‘Suzanne Kingston in particular is a go-to person for mediation. She brings vast expertise and experience to cases and provides a clear and firm direction to parties. Her approach is engaged and insightful and she is solution-focused. She takes the time to understand the issues and to apply a bespoke approach. If clients want to avoid the time and expense of the court process and really want to give it their best shot to resolve matters, Suzanne is without question the mediator they need‘

Andrew Goodman, Mediation Consulting Ltd

Andrew Goodman LLB MBA PhD FCIArb FInstCPD FRSA ( Barrister, 1978, Master of the Bench, Inner Temple, 2009) has been an accredited CEDR mediator since 1993 practising in commercial disputes, property, construction, development, partnership, franchising, professional negligence, workplace, higher education and family business disputes, helping parties since resolve more than 400 claims, from purely nominal amounts to US$1.4 billion in the UK, UAE, Hong Kong, Egypt, Kuwait, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Singapore.

He has been recommended as a leading mediator in the Legal 500 for 27 years. He is a Director, College of Mediators, Fellow CMC, member, Bar ADR Panel and the Independent Standards Commission, International Mediation Institute. A Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators, Andrew is acknowledged as one of the world's leading specialist mediation and advocacy trainers, working with the Bar Council, RICS, ICAEW, CIArb, HMRC, the International Advocacy Training Council, FIRS (Nigeria), Practice Forte (Singapore), MoJ (Turkey), IIAM (India), ADR Group and more.

Andrew holds academic chairs in the United States and Nigeria and has provided training in mediation as an itinerant visiting lecturer in postgraduate dispute resolution courses at a number of UK universities; he has led mediation advocacy training for the Hong Kong, Delhi, Bangkok, Singapore, Cape (RSA), Kathmandu, Istanbul, Ankara, Krakow, Prague and Lagos Bars and others, and addressed senior Dutch, Belgian, French, Croatian, Nepalese, Nigerian, Turkish and Chinese judiciaries.

Andrew is the author of over 50 books including Effective Mediation Advocacy (4th ed. 2024), Advanced Mediation Advocacy (2024), Preparing for Mediation (2016) How Judges Decide Cases (2016) and Effective Written Advocacy in Practice (2nd edn 2011) with dedicated foreign editions. He offers bespoke in-house advanced training in specialist, written and appellate advocacy, mediation representation/advocacy and dispute avoidance. He advises governments, judiciaries and private companies. see further at https//:www.mediationconsulting.co.uk

Contact: andrew@andrewgoodman.london +44 7095 093509

Stephen Walker, Stephen Walker Mediation

'Stephen is a full-time civll and commercial mediator. He is ranked in BAND 1 in both Chambers and Legal 500. He has acted as lead mediator in over 1000 mediations including more than 350 online.

He has published 7 books on mediation all designed to help users- clients, lawyers and mediators -get the best out of the process including Mediation Advocacy 2nd ed 2018 and Digital Mediation 2024 both published by Bloomsbury.

He has noticed that mediation and mediation advocacy has changed over the last 20 years, mainly but not always for the better.

Further details are on his website: swalkermediation.com.