OUR MEDIATION TEAM

ALISTER BROWN - DIRECTOR

Alister Brown is the Managing Director of Mediation Associates and a qualified family mediator with extensive experience in working with children and families.

About Alister

Alister is a registered Social Worker with over 30 years’ experience working with children and families. His career spans both frontline practice and senior management roles, including overseeing services for children and managing family mediation provision.

Areas of Expertise

Alister brings a wealth of knowledge in supporting families through complex and often challenging circumstances. His areas of expertise include:

• Family mediation

• Child-focused dispute resolution

• Service development and management within children’s services

• Safeguarding and family support

He qualified as a family mediator in 2014 and has since developed extensive experience across a range of dispute resolution approaches.

Additional Experience

In addition to his role at Mediation Associates, Alister is also a director of a national fostering and adoption charity. This further reflects his long-standing commitment to supporting children and families at both a practice and strategic level.

30

Years
Experience

ALICE PICKARD - FAMILY MEDIATOR

Alice Pickard is a Family Mediation Council Accredited Family Mediator (FMCA) and Professional Practice Consultant (PPC), as well as a member of the Family Mediators Association (FMA) and the Law Society.

About Alice

Alice is an experienced family mediator known for her calm, pragmatic, and solution-focused approach. She supports individuals and families to resolve disputes constructively, helping them move forward in a way that is both practical and sustainable.

Her approach combines careful listening with appropriate challenge, enabling meaningful discussions even in complex or emotionally charged situations. Alice works to create a balanced and respectful environment where all parties feel heard and supported.

Areas of Expertise

Alice has a strong background in family law, having graduated with Honours from Northumbria University. This legal foundation underpins her work in mediation, particularly in complex and sensitive cases.

She has extensive experience working with families and children of all ages, including matters involving high levels of conflict. Her areas of expertise include:

• Arrangements for children

• Financial matters arising from separation and divorce

• Intergenerational disputes

• Cross-cultural family matters

• Relocation cases (within the UK and internationally)

Alice provides Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) as well as full “all issues” mediation. She is also accredited to deliver child inclusive mediation, working directly with children to ensure their voices are appropriately and sensitively considered within the process.

Approach to Mediation

Alice’s key strengths lie in her ability to build trust quickly, manage strong emotions with sensitivity, and maintain momentum throughout the mediation process. She is thorough in her preparation, clear in her communication, and focused on helping parties move beyond entrenched positions.

Her impartial and balanced approach ensures that discussions remain constructive, forward-looking, and focused on achieving workable outcomes.

Additional Experience

Alice has delivered both the Separated Parenting Information Programme (SPIP) and The Kids’ Turn Way Programme, further strengthening her ability to support parents navigating separation. She helps clients develop the understanding and tools needed to manage conflict and build more effective co-parenting relationships.

As a Professional Practice Consultant (PPC), Alice also mentors and supervises mediators at various stages of their careers. She provides structured support, reflective practice, and professional guidance to help maintain high standards within the profession.

JACKIE NORTON - FAMILY MEDIATOR

Jackie Norton is a Family Mediation Council Accredited Family Mediator (FMCA) and a member of National Family Mediation and the Family Mediators Association (FMA). She has worked in mediation since 1996 as a family mediator, workplace mediator, Professional Practice Consultant (PPC), and trainer.

About Jackie

Jackie is a highly experienced mediator with a long-standing career supporting individuals and organisations to resolve conflict. She brings a calm, thoughtful, and empathetic approach to her work, creating a safe and constructive environment for difficult conversations.

Jackie believes that mediation can be a deeply positive and healing process—not only resolving practical issues but also helping to rebuild trust and improve relationships.

Areas of Expertise

Jackie has extensive experience across both family and workplace mediation, including complex and sensitive matters.

Her areas of expertise include:

• Child inclusive mediation, working directly with children

• Family mediation across all aspects of separation

• Workplace disputes, including:

  • Bullying and harassment

  • Grievances

  • Reactions to organisational change

  • Team conflicts and interpersonal disputes

Jackie is also highly experienced in training professionals to mediate their own disputes, having delivered accredited training to organisations including:

• The Home Office

• Metropolitan Police

• Royal Air Force

• The Army

• The NHS

Approach to Mediation

Jackie adopts a compassionate and facilitative approach, supporting individuals to communicate more effectively and move towards resolution. She is particularly skilled in managing emotionally sensitive situations and helping parties rebuild understanding and trust.

Her work focuses not only on reaching agreements but also on improving longer-term relationships and communication.

Additional Experience

In addition to her mediation practice, Jackie works as a Professional Practice Consultant (PPC), supporting and supervising mediators in their professional development.

Her extensive experience as both a practitioner and trainer enables her to provide insightful guidance, ensuring high standards of practice and continuous professional growth within the field.