In the 11 (almost 12) years that Consilia Legal have been practising law, offering valuable mediation services has become one of our key successes. Through Consilia Mediation, our dedicated mediation service, we help families, individuals and businesses resolve disputes constructively and without the need for formal court or tribunal proceedings wherever possible.
So it is with great pride that we have become involved in the annual National Mediation Awards. As an established legal practice we strongly believe that mediation is the best way forward as a dispute resolution, and this is why we decided to become an official sponsor of the national awards in 2026. But we have also received two nominations in the awards themselves, showcasing our specialist knowledge and expertise in key areas of the mediation sector.
The National Mediation Awards have been recognising excellence in the fields of commercial, civil, family and community mediation since 2018. The annual awards are a collaboration between the Civil Mediation Council, the College of Mediators and the Family Mediation Council and recognise not just mediators, but also trainers, providers and advocates. This year’s awards are taking place at Lincoln’s Inn in London, a distinguished legal setting, on December 2nd 2026. And amongst the 18 awards categories on the night, Consilia Mediation can proudly boast two nominees for the top awards.
Award nominations for Consilia Mediation’s experts
Laura Clapton, our director and family solicitor, is in the running for the Family Mediator of the Year award, while Marie Walsh, also a director and employment solicitor, has been nominated for Workplace Mediator of the Year. Both are experienced and successful mediation specialists and have contributed to Consilia Legal’s success in winning various industry awards over the last 11 years, but more importantly in providing valuable dispute resolution services to individuals, families and businesses through Consilia Mediation.
For this reason, it is a particularly proud moment for the important work of Consilia Mediation to be recognised with these dual nominations, and being included amongst some experienced and successful industry peers on a national level is also an acknowledgement of the great strides our business has made in the first 11 years of its existence.
The importance of family and workplace mediation
The free consultations offered by Consilia Mediation provide families with a no-obligation opportunity to seek clarity on their situation and to speak with experienced and accredited family mediators. Our objective is to provide pragmatic and cost-effective solutions that are tailored to the needs of the family, and in an environment that is friendly, open, neutral, confidential and professional. We strongly believe it is important that families retain control over their options and future, and that they are spared the cost and emotional strain of formal court proceedings. Our family mediation services can resolve issues quicker and amicably, and with a view to protecting the family unit and the welfare of children.
Workplace mediation is important because many working relationships are valuable to us and provide us with a sense of belonging. We invest a lot of time and emotion into working relationships and so it is essential that we have a platform and a process through which to protect ourselves when things become difficult, and when we experience unjustified barriers to our personal progress. Through Consilia Mediation, our workplace mediation services can help with many common workplace disputes, between employees and line managers, between colleagues and where personal relationships cause frictions and difficulties. Mediation also helps with issues around sickness absence, grievances, bullying and harassment. This process can often help resolve issues to prevent dismissal or employment tribunals, which can cause further working relationship damage in addition to emotional stress. Workplace mediation is often a process which protects someone’s livelihood as well as their emotional wellbeing.
Our pride in being recognised for outstanding mediation work
Through Consilia Mediation, we provide specialist family and workplace mediation because we believe everyone should benefit from a process which promotes calm, balanced and confidential discussion, and impartial solutions based around the best interests of all the parties involved. This is why we have great pride in sponsoring the National Mediation Awards 2026, and also being nominated in two of the leading categories.
At Consilia Legal we have been widely recognised in the Yorkshire region as a recommended lawyer in the prestigious Legal 500 listings, and also as employment lawyers in the annual Yorkshire Legal Awards since 2017. Recognition on a national stage is particularly significant, particularly as the specialist mediation services delivered through Consilia Mediation are underpinned by Consilia Legal’s wealth of family law, employment law expertise. These nominations are a welcome recognition of that combined knowledge and experience.
We look forward to the awards ceremony in December and will report back on how the evening goes, but win or lose we believe these award nominations reflect the standard of service we can offer but also justify our focus on the many benefits of mediation.