Here we are, March 2026, marking the milestone of 9 years of Clare Madeline Mediation. Why is it important I continue to celebrate this?
Starting my own business was life changing for me in so many ways. It marks a time when I made the decision to leave a safe career in law to take a chance of bringing a vision to life. That vision was twofold. Primarily the client focus was to bring to life a bespoke place for clients who wanted an alternative to a court or solicitors process, those who sought an emotionally intelligent way of separating but with the support of a child focused professional who understood the legal process but also the emotional impact of separation. I also wanted a different way of life for me. One which was not marked by unhealthy long hours, stress and working in environments which were not conducive to the work I wanted to carry out.
Clare Madeline Mediation was a work in progress for a year or so before I launched. I worked with a life coach and we took some time to break down the constraints of working in a legal profession to move towards creating something which at the time was completely unique (a warm, welcoming dedicated space within my own home where clients could come to mediate). Pre covid the thought that a professional would work from home was frowned upon and most family law colleagues could not see why I would not want to have an office in a fancy location with receptionists and ‘white’ spaces. All of that comes at a cost and some of that cost is inevitably passed onto the clients. I wanted to be affordable to those who needed it but more importantly I wanted it to feel different. I had looked at many potential offices but none met the mark for me. I wanted this business to be different – for clients to know that when they contacted me they would speak to me first rather than a receptionist, when they came for a first meeting it would be me that greeted them rather than a waiting area and when they sat down to mediate they would be in a space sensitive and conducive to the discussions they were going to have. It needed to feel personalised and nothing could be more personal than inviting clients into a space within my home dedicated to this.
9 years on of course the vision has changed and I now see my clients who come to me from all over the UK virtually. I work online with my clients on screen together (provided it is safe and suitable to do so and I will carefully explore that). And of course, most family law professionals I know are now enjoying some kind of hybrid working so what felt very unusual at the time has now become the norm.
I dared to be different but ultimately for the sole reason that I believed clients wanted something better when they are experiencing the trauma of divorce and 9 years on I can look back and be thankful that I got that right. I’m continuing to grow and my business now has three strands – mediation between separating couples, a space for children and young people to see me and speak about how their parents separation is for them as well as a coaching and training practice for other mediators. I have plans to develop some more training for other mediators to share some knowledge (and mistakes) I’ve learnt along the way and I’ll also be continuing my own professional development with a busy training schedule focusing this year on reflective mediation and a trauma informed practice.
So, happy birthday to Clare Madeline Mediation. With thanks to all my clients who have trusted me to support them in the mediation process, to my professional colleagues who continue to refer clients to me and to the fantastic group of mediators I support in their own practices. For those I am yet to work with, I warmly welcome you to a space (now online) which is tailored to you personally with a professional who is calm, experienced and totally understands the pain when life does not go as you hoped it would and what it takes to work alongside you through that pain to finding a way forward, collaboratively with your ex partner with your children at the very heart of that process.
