Family Mediation Staffordshire | Laura Miller

I started with FMCstaffs at the beginning of April 2020.  Previously I have worked within human resources and also since having children within a school environment.  I have a passion for people and want to be able to help families going through difficult times and mediation seems a really useful tool that is easily accessable for everyone.  My main role within the office is helping arrange appointments and deal with adminstration.

I enjoy playing sports and am a member of a local football and netball team.

I trained as a Mediator in 1998 and have been competence assessed to mediate both children and financial/property issues for over 20 years. I have also trained and qualified in Direct Consultation with Children.

I joined the Family Mediation Centre Staffordshire in 2018; I mostly mediate children issues with separating parents, but  co-mediate  more complex All Issues and financial/property cases. I am a member of the Family Mediators Association (FMA) and Family Mediation Council (FMC).

Whilst accepting some matters will need the assistance of the court in order to determine the outcome I believe wholeheartedly in the transforming nature of mediation as a means of resolving Family issues.

I have a Degree in Social Science (Sociology and Psychology): an MA in Criminology; a CQSW and a Diploma in Social Work; a teaching qualification to teach in Adult Education and completed a foundation course in counselling.

Qualifying as a Probation Officer in 1983, I joined Staffordshire Probation Service working with both the Criminal and Family courts, becoming familiar in the Family Courts with those experiencing Divorce/Separation. In 1996 I joined the Divorce Court Welfare Team, then moved to Cafcass – Children and Family Court Advisory Service in 2001 where I practised until 2012 when I moved to work with a local Mediation Centre.

On a personal note my interests include walking, reading, theatre, music, cooking and Dru Yoga which I absolutely love and which I also teach!

I worked for Borough and County Council  in the Town Clerks Office, Housing Department and Motor Tax Office.  I then moved onto be a Civil Servant at 18 where I remained in this role for 37 years.  I have worked in the Inland Revenue, Department of Health and Social Security, Benefits Agency, Fraud Officer, Aide to Fraud Area Manager and Manager of Prosecution Team.   In undertaking all these roles, I have worked with so many people and gained such a wide and varied wealth of experience with the general public and also government systems and policies.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, cooking, cake making and reading.  I also enjoy walking my daughter’s dog Murphy who is the newest member of our family.

I started with FMCStaffs  in March last year after my 18 year career in banking came to an end.  I have been able to adapt my listening and administration skills and enjoy helping people on a daily basis and feel like I am constantly learning new skills.

I am an avid cinema goer and have recently taken up running.  I also love to travel, with the Far East next on my list.

I trained as a mediator with Resolution in 2012 and became a full time mediator in 2015 having worked part time as a mediator and part time as a Chartered Legal Executive specialising in Family Law.  I was in legal practice since 1996 and am a member of the Law Society Family Law Panel.

As a legal practitioner I always adopted a conciliatory approach with a strong belief in attempting to make an extremely difficult and traumatic experience as smooth as I possibly could. It was therefore a natural progression for me to train as a Family Law Mediator.

With my experience in family law for so many years I have a wealth of experience in dealing with most situations and have met and assisted 100s of separated couples and families.

I have only recently joined the wonderful team at Family Mediation Centre Staffordshire as administrator following 12 years with The Mediation Centre.  I have been involved in the legal profession since leaving school.

Having been married for some 30 years and with twin teenagers I have lots of experiencinI am committed to helping families in explaining the many benefits mediation can offer them in resolving both children and financial issues.

When I find I have some spare time, I love walking on The Chase with our beagle Dylan, dancing and generally socialising with friends.

Core values of Humanity, Innovation and Excellence inform all I do in my work as practitioner, consultant and trainer and in my involvement with the development of mediation locally, nationally and internationally.

As an experienced family lawyer I have always sought to avoid an adversarial approach. I was Legal Aid Family Lawyer of the Year 2007, because of my commitment to publicly funded legal and dispute resolution services. In my other professional life as a Mental Health Tribunal Judge, as well as family and civil mediator, I seek to put this commitment to impartiality and humanity into action. I have a particular enthusiasm for helping all to develop a robust mediation practice that will meet the needs of entrenched, “hybrid” and complex cases and of vulnerable people.
“Neil’s most striking attribute is the extraordinary degree of passion he brings to bear – and communicates – on the subject of mediation. He is totally convinced that our community would benefit if mediation had a higher profile; and that mediators must improve their service, develop different techniques for different types of case, co-operate better with solicitors and other professionals, tackle even the most difficult cases and press the value of their services more effectively upon the public and upon government.” – Lord Wilson of Culworth, Supreme Court Judge and former President of FMA.

I am a member of Family Mediators Association, Resolution and The Law Society Mediation Panel. I have been a family lawyer since 1980 and a mediator since 1990, and am recognised to work with children and to undertake publicly funded work. My colleagues and I at FMC Staffs developed the high profile mediation practice at The Mediation Centre, Stafford from 2000-2012 before moving on. I now offer training and consultancy independently, for Family Mediation Centre Staffordshire and for the Family Mediators Association and Resolution. I am also honoured to be a Visiting Professor in the Staffordshire University Law School. I hope this will provide an opportunity to develop the integration of current conflict resolution practice into mainstream legal practice tuition at both LPC and undergraduate levels.

I love being a mediator because it’s so much better than litigation in almost every situation, because I have always as a lawyer felt dissatisfied with the adversarial approach, because it is constructive and forward looking, and because it engages my right brain as much as my left!

I have spent the last ten years of my career working within the mediation world. I am a qualified paralegal and have spent my entire career working within Solicitors practices starting as a junior, then a legal secretary and finally a manager. I achieved a BA Hons in Business and Management which inspired me to start my own mediation service. I feel very honoured to be able to continue my work with such a group of highly qualified and professional people who share such similar qualities.  I have a real passion for mediation and think it is such a useful resource for all families.

My main interest is adventurous travel. I have visited India, Thailand and most recently California but look forward to experiencing other cultures and communities as much as I can.