About Us

LBA was established in 2001 and is both a thriving mediation practice and a training organisation. Over the past twenty years Lorraine has created a talented, well trained and experienced team. They come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and are professional practice consultants, practice managers and teachers as well as practising mediators.

We provide opportunities for trainee mediators to experience real mediation in a safe environment. This enables us to use and understand best practice in mediation as well as design and deliver training that puts theory and skills in a practical context. Our enthusiasm for the latest approaches and ideas led us to create the Excellence programme, which is designed to support anyone who needs to use mediation skills throughout their career. The Excellence programme can help you to review your own performance, keep up to date and, eventually, pass your learning on to others if you want to as a professional practice consultant, mediation mentor or trainer.

LBA is committed to promoting higher standards within the mediation profession. Our Training courses are recognised as amongst the best on offer and we are constantly working to improve them. We also contribute to work on the development and promotion of standards within the mediation profession through our involvement in the College of Mediators, the Professional Standards Committee, specialist working and regional groups, articles and speaking at conferences. Lorraine led the College of Mediators for a number of years and is an assessor for the Family Mediation Council Accreditation scheme.

Mediator's Green Pledge

Lorraine Bramwell

Lorraine trained as a mediator in 1995 having already had a number of years professional experience working with people in dispute in a range of situations.

She is accredited both as a Family and Civil and Commercial mediator and became a Legal Services Commission recognised mediator in 1998. Over the last 27 years she has successfully mediated many hundreds of cases and has resolved disputes in family, workplace, civil and commercial, education, voluntary sector and disability issues. She is an Approved Member of the College of Mediators, has a Masters degree in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, degree in Psychology and a post graduate Diploma in Applied Social Studies.

Lorraine is also a well established national trainer of mediators. She has developed and teaches a number of specialism including consulting children in mediation and managing high conflict cases; her first book on mediation practice being on mediation and domestic abuse. Lorraine acts as Professional Practice Consultant to a number of other practitioners and services. Nationally, she has held the positions of both the Director and Chair of the College of Mediators and as Chair of the College of Mediators Professional Standards Committee.

She continues to play an active role in the development of mediation standards as a member of the Family Mediation Standards Board. She is also a national FMCA assessor.

Katherine Stylianou

Katherine has been practicing as a Family Mediator since 1996.

She was recognised by the Legal Services Commission and accredited by National Family mediation in 1998 for Child only Issues cases and in 2002 for All Issues Mediation. Katherine is a qualified barrister, whose work has focussed solely on mediation. Her experience includes working for three South London Family Mediation services, supervising community mediation co-ordinator, being a consultant to community mediation project in Athens.

Katherine was a senior lecturer at London South Bank University, teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation skills to undergraduate students. She has also taught on Masters and other postgraduate programmes at Westminster University and Birkbeck College.

Katherine is a recognised member of the College of Mediators and sits on their Professional Standards Committee. She has been involved with various workshops and conferences on the training of mediation.

Jan Coulton

Jan is a recognised name in the field of mediation and is an experienced trainer approved by the Family Mediation Council. It is her extensive knowledge of the subject that has gained her invitations to lecture and present at conferences worldwide. She also writes and delivers bespoke training courses and provides Professional Practice Consultancy (PPC) to professional mediators who are accredited or working towards accreditation.

Jan has been recognised nationally for her 30 years of work in family mediation, having received the National Mediation Awards two years running. She has a solid legal background, having qualified as a solicitor in 1980.

Jan is a former Chair of The College of Mediators and has been involved at national level in formulating policy relating to family mediation and professional practice. She is a committed mediator, accredited by the Family Mediation Council and is passionate about ensuring best practice by way of accredited mediation standards. Jan is a trained assessor and supervisor for accredited mediation programmes.

When not working Jan is a marathon cold water swimmer, a Channel swimmer and a bronze medal holder at the Winter Swimming World Championships, Siberia 2016.

Andrew Sims

Andrew is an experienced independent Mediator, in full time practice. He regularly practices in the fields of family, commercial, workplace / employment and community mediation. He also has experience in planning cases, peer (youth) mediation, placements for foster care and wills and probate disputes.

Before becoming a mediator, Andrew had a business background and a degree in Social Psychology. He is an ‘Approved Mediator’ with the College of Mediators and a member of the Civil Mediation Council

Our Family Law Specialists

Edd Palmer

Edd is a practicing Barrister and Family Mediator, who was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2000 and is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, the Family Law Bar Association and the Public Access Bar Association.

He specialises in Family Law, Landlord and Tenant and General Common Law.

Edd teaches on the Family Law day of our Family Specialism Course but is also a trained Family Mediator, having trained with ADRg in 2013. He is also a Director of Legalhelpers Limited.

Anita Craig

Anita came to law as a second career after a successful twenty years running her own catering and hospitality business.

She was called to the Bar in 2003 and completed her Master’s Degree in Family Law a year later, before going on to do a further Degree in Education.

She has enjoyed more than 10 years as an academic, teaching at various institutions: most recently, Manchester Metropolitan and Staffordshire Universities.

Contact us to find out more

If you would like to discuss a potential career as a mediator or you are an organisation seeking training in mediation skills to compliment the current skills of your team, or for any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01793 887227 or at enquiries@bestwayforward.training.

We hope to see you soon!