Jones Myers family law solicitor Katie Jennings has successfully completed the key first stage of her training to become an accredited Family Law Mediator.

Katie, who is based at the niche family law firm’s York city centre office, has undergone training with the Family Mediators Association, completing her assignments in the evenings and weekends.

Her decision to become a Family Law Mediator has been influenced by seeing the positive outcomes that mediation has brought for Jones Myers’ clients.

Said Katie: “There is an increased awareness that the court system is under a lot of strain and cases are taking many months, if not years, to conclude, at a great financial and emotional cost.

“I was always aware of mediation as an important, non-confrontational option for divorcing and separating couples going through difficult situations. After seeing how beneficial and positive mediation can be to help resolve cases, I  wanted to develop my skills to help people move forward in a non-adversarial way.”

Jones Myers is an acknowledged leader in offering options to couples who want to deal with the consequences of their separation in a spirit of cooperation and put their children’s best interests first.

Partner, Nicki Mitchell, who heads Jones Myers’ York office, is a Family Law Mediator who  became York’s first Collaborative Family Lawyer in York in 2005. She said: “With even more divorcing and separating couples expected to choose non-confrontational processes to agree the arrangements following their divorce this year, we wish Katie every success in her journey to become a Family Law Mediator.

“Katie is a valued member of our team and her commitment to working in her spare time to achieve accreditation speaks volumes.”      

Over the coming months Katie will work with Nicki and other accredited mediators to develop her mediation skills and then take on her own cases. She will in due course submit a portfolio of her cases to the Family Mediation Council with a view to gaining accreditation.  

Added Katie: “The support I have received from Jones Myers has been invaluable, I couldn’t have asked for a more encouraging and enthusiastic firm. It is an honour to be able to develop my skills as a mediator with the support of Nicki, as she is highly regarded as an experienced mediator. ”

Founded in 1992 as one of the first family law firms of its kind in the North of England, Jones Myers has retained a top position in the Legal 500 and Chambers rankings for over three decades.

For queries on mediation or any aspect of divorce or family law, call 0113 246 0055 (Leeds) 01423 276104 (Harrogate), 01423 276104, (York) 01904 202550 Visit www.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet @helpwithdivorce

Jones Myers blog is ranked 4^th in the UK’s Best 20 family law blogs and websites to follow in 2026.

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The impact of divorce on children can be deep-rooted and long-lasting – which is why more separating parents are looking for ways of communicating about their separation in a way which puts their children’s wellbeing first.

An increasing number of separating couples also want to avoid the emotional trauma, stress and expense of litigation and a drawn out court battle.

In a courtroom, binding decisions of huge importance – such as how your financial assets are divided and how much time you can spend with your children – can be taken out of your hands by a Judge.

Mediation is an alternative way forward which puts you in the driving seat. In mediation you and your ex work constructively towards agreed arrangements aligned with your family’s long-term interests.

During mediation you and your ex discuss, confidentially with a qualified mediator, those issues which are most important to you.   With the right mediator, there is no reason why financially complex issues cannot be agreed using the process.

Advantages of using mediation include financial and time savings as the process takes the time it needs to resolve your particular issues.  This can be anything from one meeting in less complex cases to several meetings over a few months, where the background issues are more complicated.

This measured approach, which keeps communication channels open, can also lessen the emotional impact of the split on your children.

You will still need legal advice in support of the mediation process and the mediator will guide you as to when this is required.  The amount of solicitor involvement is much more limited than in a conventional case however, which makes the legal costs much lower.

 Where necessary, agreements reached in mediation can easily be incorporated into draft orders by your solicitors and approved by a Judge to be made legally binding. 

Jones Myers continues to receive growing recognition for our extensive expertise in Mediation, Collaborative Law and Arbitration – all of which avoid going to court and enable you, your ex and your children to get on with your lives.

Our partner, Nicki Mitchell, the first qualified collaborative family lawyer in York, has also been a qualified family law mediator since 2015.

 Nicki has recently further enhanced her extensive expertise by becoming a qualified child-inclusive mediator. The accreditation enables her to who meets with children of separated parents and hear what they want.

Jones Myers founder, Peter Jones, is a qualified mediator and among the country’s first arbitrators qualified to arbitrate on financial and property disputes along with the breakup of civil partnership or disputes between cohabiting couples whose relationships have ended.

 The benefits of mediation are being highlighted extensively during Family Mediation Week which runs from January 17 to January 21. Organised by the Family Mediation Council, the initiative is supported by the Family Mediators Association, The Law Society, National Family Mediation, Resolution and the College of Mediators.  

To help you decide if mediation is for you, Jones Myers offers a free-of-charge 30 minute consultation via telephone, face to face or video for our new clients.

Call our Leeds office 0113 246 0055, our Harrogate office 01423 276104, or our York office on 01904 202550. Visit jm2023.jonesmyers.co.uk, email info@jonesmyers.co.uk or tweet us @helpwithdivorce

Image ID 17235412 © Yanlev | Dreamstime.com

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The countdown to Resolution’s fourth Family Dispute Resolution Week, which runs across November 23-27th , is a timely opportunity to flag up the alternatives to the ‘traditional’ court hearing route for divorcing couples.

Supported by the Law Society and the Family Mediators Association, this year’s theme, ‘putting children first’ promotes the benefits of adopting a more conciliatory, non-court based approach to family disputes, as courtroom battles can be very emotional and distressing for all involved, especially children.

Collaborative Family Law (CFL) Practice Groups UK wide are organising activities to promote non-court resolution in family breakdown. My own local Group, CFL Leeds, is holding a food-making challenge at Chino Latino restaurant, where we will “collaborate” in teams with our non-family lawyer guests to produce a variety of sushi dishes together. This will be on Wednesday the 25th November at 17.00. The idea is to demonstrate how working together produces far better results than being in competition.

Litigation is an option which can bring many disadvantages, including high costs, substantial distress, and a prolonged process. It assumes there is conflict, whereas there is often only disagreement – which can nearly always be solved creatively through discussion, asking questions and finding solutions together.

Going to court is usually the most expensive option, and can be a cold, clinical, very public and daunting experience, where you hand over the decision-making to a judge who does not know you and has no real idea what is truly important to you.

The far more positive ways to resolve family breakdown issues are through mediation, collaborative law, and arbitration.

In mediation, trained intermediaries meet with both partners together and help you reach agreement on those issues where you disagree, such as arrangements for any children.

The collaborative process sees each party appoint their own collaboratively trained lawyer, meeting to work things out and backed up by support and legal advice. All sign a contract committing them to trying to resolve matters by agreement, without going to court. The lawyers will agree only to represent the parties within the collaborative process, and not in court.

These non-court options involve both parties far more, encourage a greater understanding of the other’s point of view and are designed to forge a long-term solution, without lingering bitterness, based on a fair, realistic settlement.

Rather than the adversarial court process that can leave a family at war, they are all intended as a launching pad for a more positive future, which minimises impact on children.

These non confrontational options ensure that youngsters are as happy as is possible post-divorce, seeing that their parents who, while no longer together, are not at each other’s throats or pressuring them to take sides for years or even decades. The children are watching and can be dramatically affected by the way in which their parents resolve their difficulties.

Family arbitration is where both partners agree they need a third party to decide a financial issue or issues, but do not want to go through the court process. An experienced family lawyer, trained as an arbitrator, will make a final, binding decision.

Our regular blog visitors will know that it has always been our driving aim at Jones Myers to ensure the best outcomes for children.

Court really should be a last resort.  Generally, you can achieve much better solutions for all the family, especially any children, by cooperating and working out agreement in private meetings with your ex and their representatives in a safe, private and non-threatening environment. Here, a solution is worked out based on your respective long-term goals, rather than imposing a ‘win-lose’ philosophy.

Jones Myers family lawyers are members of Resolution – professionals committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. All follow a code of practice that promotes a non-confrontational approach to family issues.

As Winston Churchill, at his wisest and most succinct, memorably advised, “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.” Although he was alluding to a different kind of battleground, the principles he advocates are no less pertinent in family law.

If you have any comments, queries or concerns on divorce related issues, leave a comment below, call the team at Jones Myers on 0113 246 0055 or tweet us on @helpwithdivorce

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