Julia Burns, a solicitor who specialises in contentious private client cases has launched a private client mediation and conflict coaching business called Dove in the Room.
Ms Burns is the first solicitor to become a specialist private client mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), and that the business aimed to meet the emotional as well as legal needs of clients.
Along with mediation and pre-mediation coaching, Dove in the Room offers conflict coaching for families and business owners.
Julia said:
“A lot of the clients I’ve worked for have been in a very, very difficult place emotionally and often needed more than just some legal advice.
“Mental health issues can go undiagnosed and untreated, and can play out in a horrendous family dispute at great costs.
“My work involves dealing with difficult and acrimonious family disputes where emotions are at a high level. It’s a distress purchase for clients. People have to instruct a lawyer to get access to their money and get on with their lives.”
Although she has been a probate lawyer for 12 years, Ms Burns passion has always been to mediate and resolve issues.
To fulfil this dream, she embarked on a three-day private client specialist mediation course with the CEDR in May this year and followed that up with a two-day course in which she became accredited as a general mediator.
Speaking about her time on the courses, Ms Burns said:
“The focus was on dispute avoidance rather than just dispute resolution. In my world, as a lawyer, we try and pick up all the pieces and patch things up the best we can.
“The course puts the focus on trying to get family members to talk to each other and heal their wounds. That’s the kinds of thing I’ve set the business up for.”
