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Our Mediators
All our mediators have varying backgrounds in family-centred work, but they are all either practising family lawyers in senior positions at prominent law firms in the South West, or leading academics and lecturers.
Rod Ball
Rod is a family law solicitor based in Barnstaple. His specific areas of expertise involve working with Children and Financial disputes in separation and divorce. He has been a qualified mediator for 8 years, training with FMA and is LSC recognised.
Jo Bromley
Jo is a Family Therapist, Trainee Mediator and a member of JACAT (Joint Agencies Child Abuse Team) who works directly with children, young people and their families.
Jane Chanot
Jane is a Family Solicitor, Family mediator and Accredited ADR Civil and Commercial mediator. She has specialised in family law for many years and is a director at Hartnell Chanot & Partners. She is a member of the Law Society's Advanced Family Law Panel, an Accredited Resolution Family Law specialist, an Accredited Resolution Family mediator, LSC recognised, a Collaborative Family Lawyer, and a member of the Reunite panel specialising in child abduction cases. She specialises in divorce, financial matters and private law children cases particularly child abduction cases and international related matters.
Monica Cockett
Monica has a background in Social Policy and research and is a Research Fellow at the Department of Child Health at University of Exeter. Since 1983 she has been involved in research surrounding issues about families and children and has been a qualified mediator since 1986. Monica was one of the first to train in the South West with the FMA, and was a co-founder of the DFMA which has since expanded to become DFSL. Her particular interest is in supporting multi disciplinary training and understanding of different professional approaches to assist parents to support their children and to put their needs at the centre of any arrangements they might make. She is a founder member of the Peninsula Family Justice Council and organises their traning program, a National Trainer for Resolution, and is a member of the Family Collaborative Law Group.
Adrienne Cox
Adrienne qualified in London as a solicitor in 1991, practiced for 8 years as a solicitor in all areas of family law, and in 1999 qualified as a Mediator with Resolution. She specialises in family law and since 2002 has lectured at Exeter University, focusing on Child Law in addition to continuing her practice as a mediator. She is a recognised all issues mediator with the LSC (Legal Services Commission) and became an Accredited Resolution (formerly SFLA) mediator in 2004. In 2007 Adrienne qualified as a Professional Practice Consultant enabling her to develop her role as Supervisor to other family mediators.
Bryony Gilbert
Bryony was called to the Bar in 1987, qualified as a Mediator with FMA in 1999, and is LSC accredited. Bryony practised as a Barrister in the Midlands, and came to Devon in 1994 to lecture in litigation and family law at the Centre for Legal Practice, Exeter University. Bryony left the University in 2006 to concentrate on her work as a Mediator.
Norman Hartnell
Norman has over 30 years experience, twenty as a Family Mediator, and established Hartnell Chanot and the DFMA (now Devon Family Solutions) in 1991. Norman trained as a mediator with the FMA, is LSC recognised, has served on numerous Resolution and Court committees, is experienced in co and sole mediation and acts as a solicitor for parents, guardians and children in private and public law cases. He is the Mediation representative to the Peninsula Family Justice Council and has represented the Board of the FMA in discussions with the LSC. In 2007 he was shortlisted for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year, and is a Collaborative Family Lawyer.
John Hind
In 2010/2011 Chambers and Partners, a guide to lawyers in the South West of England
John was recognised for his commitment to the field of conflict resolution including mediation and family law and described as " A beacon of family law in the South West "
John Hind was a partner and owner of Act Family Law, Plymouth from 2004-2010 . Before joining Act Family Law he worked as a Family Lawyer and Mediator with a number of well known regional practices along the South coast including Bond Pearce in Plymouth.
He began his working life as an officer in the British Armed Forces and trained as a lawyer shortly after leaving the Army as a Captain in 1989. He immediately began to specialise in Family Law during his training contract in 1990, qualifying in 1992.
In 1997 John qualified as a Family Law Mediator with Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association) He is now a Director with DFS Ltd (Devon Family Solutions Ltd) having run his own private mediation practice in Plymouth from 1997.
In 1997 he gained accreditation from the Legal Services Commission (formerly the Legal Aid Board). Since then he has carried out hundreds of Publicly and Privately funded Family Law mediations. He specialises in complex financial and children matters within the context of divorce and co-habitation.
As a mediator John was involved in a pilot project for in-court civil and family mediation in 2007 and an in-court Family mediation project in 2009 as part of the Private Law Programme. He is an accredited mediator with Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association) and the Law Society.
John is also a Family Law legal and mediation trainer for Resolution and is currently involved in training lawyers to become mediators on the 8 day Resolution Family Law national foundation course.
John is a trained civil, commercial and workplace mediator. He has carried out numerous civil mediations including a variety of contractual and inheritance disputes.
He is on the Law Society Family Law panel and member of Resolution. As a lawyer he specialises in the more complex financial aspects of divorce and separation involving companies, trusts, pensions and tax.
He is also an experienced collaborative practitioner having trained with the first few in the country in May 2005 and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Practitioners. He has completed many successful collaborative cases.
John is a past Chair of Devon Resolution (2007/2010) and was the Plymouth Collaborative Group liaison lawyer from 2006-2010.
David Howell-Richardson
David is based in Exeter and is a partner with Stones Solicitors. He qualified in 1978 and has over 25 years experience specialising in Children Law and practice with particular reference to child protection in Public Law cases. He is a member of Resolution and is experienced in complex Private Law issues and related family matters. David is a member of the Law Society Family Panel, including representation of children. He qualified as a Mediator with FMA in 1999 and is LSC recognised.
Rebecca Procter
Rebecca is a Partner with Wollen Michelmores in Torquay and has specialised in Family Law since qualification in 1996. She trained as a family mediator in 2000 and has considerable experience now in helping couples resolve financial and children issues arising from their separation. She is on the Law Society Mediation Panel and is also an accredited specialist in Ancillary Relief and Domestic Violence. She has also trained as a Collaborative Lawyer which has enhanced her skills to look at resolving disputes outside of the court arena.
Penny Rogers
Penny qualified as a Mediator in 1999 with SFLA, and is LSC accredited. Penny practices all aspects of Family Law, and is a member of the UK College of Family Mediators, the Law Society Family Law Panel, and the Law Society Mediation Panel.
Ian Scofield
Ian retired in 2003 after 40 years in practice as a solicitor in Torquay. He has had a lifetime experience , and passion for, Family Law including child representation both public and private.In recent years Ian became a specialist in financial disputes following marriage and relationship breakdown. He has served on the Resolution National Committee and for the last 18 years was appointed as a Deputy District Judge finally retiring in November 2009. Ian qualified as a Mediator in 1989and is LSC accredited.
Sabina Smith
Sabina qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and is based at Crosse & Crosse in Exeter. She practices in all aspects of family law including children cases and financial and property matters on divorce or separation. She is a member of Resolution, trained as a mediator in 2003 and is LSC accredited.
Stephanie WillsonStephanie qualified in1992. She is a member of the advanced family law panel, trained in collaborative law and a qualified mediator.
Helen Shea
Helen qualified as a family mediator in 2007 and is a member of the Family Mediators Association. She also works as a community mediator for Devon Mediation Service and Sanctuary/Shaftesbury Housing Association dealing with neighbourhood disputes.