St John’s Chambers is a ‘go-to‘ set for Court of Protection work on the Western Circuit, with several members regularly receiving instructions from family members, the Official Solicitor, and local authorities, among others.”

The Legal 500 2024, Court of Protection and Community Care

St John’s Chambers offers a comprehensive and professional Court of Protection mediation service to clients. We have accredited mediators who combine their knowledge of mental capacity law and mental disability with a practical approach and reliable advice and judgment. We have undertaken cases raising novel issues of principle and practice, including issues relating to the Court of Protection Rules, costs, publicity, deputyship including both welfare and property and affairs deputies, and mediation in the Court of Protection.

Disputes can be resolved through mediation at any stage with savings in costs, uncertainty and stress. Earlier mediation can mean more savings, and can assist in resolving issues before they escalate into a more entrenched conflict. Mediation also allows the parties to preserve confidentiality and avoid publicity if they wish to do so.

Our comfortable, modern offices provide the ideal neutral environment to reach acceptable solutions to any dispute. The solution need not be, and often is not, an outcome that a judge might or could properly impose through a decision of the court. It can be a “win-win” solution.

Our mediators are independent and objective and this confidential, non judgmental process helps the parties to determine an outcome that is mutually acceptable. Mediators will ask questions to try and clarify the issues and build effective communication between the parties to help resolve the dispute. Mediation does not involve the mediator telling the participants the answer; rather the mediator assists the parties to find a mutually suitable solution.

When he was Vice President of the Court of Appeal, Sir Henry Brooke said (in the case of Dunnett v Railtrack [2002] EWCA Civ 302):

“Skilled mediators are now able to achieve results satisfactory to both parties in many cases that are quite beyond the power of the lawyers and courts to achieve.”

Areas of expertise:

  • Property and Affairs matters generally
  • Trusts
  • Gifts
  • Statutory wills
  • Allegations of financial abuse
  • Settlement and administration of personal injury awards
  • Deputyship issues – property and affairs and welfare deputies
  • LPAs and EPAs
  • Health and Welfare – best interests decisions
  • Medical treatment
  • Welfare decisions relating to care, residence, family contact
  • Deprivation of liberty issues

In addition to many of our barristers being qualified mediators, one of our Practice Manager, Robert Bocock, is also a qualified Mediator so can understand the issues of each dispute and recommend the best mediator for each client.

For further information or to discuss a suitable mediator for your dispute, please contact Robert Bocock.

Court of Protection Mediation Team

alex-troup

Alex Troup KC

  • Call: 1998
  • Silk: 2023

Alex is an experienced mediator with particular experience of dealing with contentious trust and probate cases. He adopts a friendly but no-nonsense approach to mediations and has a high success rate for achieving settlements. Alex was one of...

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John Sharples

John Sharples

  • Call: 1992

John became a fully-qualified mediator in early 2015 and now specialising in mediating property, private client and related areas. He also lectures on aspects of mediation law and practice to solicitors in the South West and Wales. John...

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John Dickinson

John Dickinson

  • Call: 1995

John trained as a mediator at the London School of Mediation, was accredited in 2015 and now serves as both a mediator and as a representative at mediations. His approach to facilitative mediation is to control the process...

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Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones

  • Call: 2004

Christopher qualified as a mediator in January 2018. His background is predominantly in trust litigation and advice, contentious and non-contentious probate applications, real property litigation (particularly in relation to easements, restrictive covenants and contracts for the sale of...

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Ben Handy

Ben Handy

  • Call: 2008

As a qualified mediator, Ben can help parties resolve disputes without the need for costly and uncertain litigation. His varied personal injury and clinical negligence practice means that he is keenly aware of the legal and practical realities...

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Oliver Wooding

Oliver Wooding

  • Call: 2009

Oliver is a trained mediator and experienced mediation counsel who deals with a whole range of legal disputes, but in particular contentious probate, trusts, and real estate disputes. He offers a practical and friendly approach that encourages parties,...

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Natasha Dzameh

Natasha Dzameh

  • Call: 2010

Natasha is an accredited mediator who is available for instruction in mediations in any of her practice areas. She is a specialist commercial and chancery barrister who is accustomed to acting as sole counsel in high value litigation...

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Adam Boyle

  • Call: 2012

Adam is passionate about mediation and the benefits it can offer to the parties who participate in it. He trained as a mediator with the London School of Mediation nearly ten years ago in 2015 and has been...

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Directory Quotes

The team have been kept busy handling cases involving issues of mental capacity arising from diagnoses of dementia, health and welfare matters, and property and affairs disputes.”

Legal 500 2022, Court of Protection

Members at St John’s Chambers have worked on a number of interesting cases with patients affected by a range of issues, including vascular dementia, paranoid schizophrenia, and brain injuries caused either through personal injury or medical negligence.”

Legal 500 2021, Court of Protection

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