Our Experts
Accreditations held by our experts
-
Jackie has more than 30 years’ experience as a family law barrister. Her practice has focussed upon complex financial disputes following relationship breakdown and private law children disputes.
She sits in the family court (including the financial remedies court) as a deputy district judge where she has gained a wealth of experience in encouraging parties to settle their dispute at an early stage in the court process.
She was asked to be one of a group of specialist family judges designated to hear First Hearing Dispute Resolution appointments in private law children cases. Jackie has understanding and sympathy for the complex emotional issues that often underpin family disputes.
Jackie trained as a mediator with both the London School of Mediation and at Resolution. She has a diploma in psychology at the Open University and a postgraduate diploma in psychodynamic psychotherapy at The Portman and Tavistock NHS Trust.
Jackie continued her training at the Institute of Psychoanalysis. For several years she had an Honorary Placement as a psychotherapist in the NHS and saw patients regularly.
-
Christine has a background as a highly experienced and widely respected family solicitor, dealing with many complex issues, often involving businesses or foreign assets.
She qualified as a Mediator in 2012 and in 2016 became accredited with the Family Mediation Council to deal with all issues mediation including child inclusive mediation. She now works exclusively in this area, drawing upon her experience of family law and the court based system.
In recent years Christine has increasingly realised that the painful emotions and physical reactions that people can experience in mediation impact upon their ability to reach a negotiated proposal despite knowing it is in the best interests of their own wellbeing and that of their family.
In 2018 she obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in psychodynamic counselling from the University of Oxford and completed a course in Systemic Couple and Family Therapy.
Her aim is to provide bespoke mediation in a safe space with psychological support available to enable people to work through their difficult feelings and complete a successful mediation. This avoids the further psychological damage of the court process.
-
Rachel has practised as a family law barrister since 2011, specialising in financial disputes and arrangements for children after parental separation. Her combined expertise in finance and children proceedings ensures that she is able to see the case from each angle and keep in mind how one may impact the outcome of the other.
Rachel is a Resolution-trained mediator. She is registered with the Family Mediation Council (URN: 1548T). She mediates on both financial and children-related matters.
Rachel has a Masters in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. She is continuing her training as a couple’s psychodynamic psychotherapist, bringing her into regular contact with couples who are in need of support.
Rachel’s particular combination of training and expertise provides a holistic approach to the resolution of family disagreements, with a focus on sustainable outcomes both for the issues at hand but for the family relationship itself.
-
Susan practised as a specialist family law barrister for twenty years. She had a particular interest and expertise in complex cases concerning children and family breakdown.
She also held an appointment as a Deputy District Judge in the Principal Registry of the Family Division, hearing a wide range of family cases, both financial matters and those concerning children. She was frequently involved in dispute resolution hearings and has experience in mediation.
Over ten years ago Susan embarked on a second career as a psychotherapist. She has an MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of London and after further clinical training at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust qualified as an adult psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She is a member of the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists and is registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council.
Susan has worked as a psychotherapist in a number of settings, including in the NHS and the charitable sector. She helps people with a wide range of presenting problems from diverse backgrounds. Susan is also involved in teaching and lecturing.
She has a keen interest in using her expertise and her insight into emotional difficulties to support families negotiating painful separations and conflicts and to facilitate mediation.
Her dual qualifications and experience in both family law and in psychotherapy mean that she is ideally placed to support people involved in the mediation process effectively and with emotional understanding. Susan is an Associate Member of Resolution.
-
Naomi qualified as a solicitor in 1990, practising as a lawyer for 20 years at several of the most prestigious London law firms, the last 14 as a partner. She specialised in social housing and primarily acted for housing associations, working with representatives of tens of thousands of tenants in negotiation with local authority landlords. Naomi was ranked in tier one of social housing lawyers in legal directory Chambers.
After a 20-year career Naomi decided to pursue her interest in people and retrain as a therapist. She qualified as a psychodynamic psychotherapist in 2013 and as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in 2019. She is a qualified supervisor enabling her to supervise the work of other psychotherapists.
Since 2013 Naomi has seen clients in her private practice in Clerkenwell, London, often working with adults going through relationship breakdown, divorce proceedings and mediation. She has worked as an honorary psychotherapist in the NHS and in a bereavement service. She has taught on the Counselling Foundation course at one of the London psychotherapy training institutions.
Naomi’s skills and experience as a lawyer and a psychotherapist have been very useful in helping her support the mediation process for clients and she joined The Mediation Space in 2023 as one of our in-house therapists. Naomi is an associate member of Resolution.
What People Are Saying
“Jacqueline Marks…is insightful, incredibly good at the detail of the matter and has excellent client handling skills”
“Christine Plews…very experienced and has the command of a room in mediation”
“Jacqueline Marks– She has a quiet authority and has the ear of the judge in court.”
“Christine Plews…recognised as Senior States Person”
“Christine Plews has very long experience and always comes to a case looking for a sensible and practical solution that is fair to both parties. [Christine is an] excellent communicator and provides wonderful client service.”
“Christine Plews ….. has deep expertise in handling complex financial remedy proceedings involving issues around inheritance, trusts and tax. She has notable experience representing clients in mediation. Christine Plews provides a calming influence, gently steering her cases to a successful conclusion.”