Family Mediation
A dispute inside a family
Inheritance, separation arrangements, arrangements for children, tension that has drawn in the wider family.
Family MediationMediation
Is mediation right for your dispute?
A private way to settle a family or business dispute before a court decides it for you. A neutral, accredited mediator runs the conversation. You decide the outcome. This page helps you judge whether it fits.
Book a consultation
Or call 020 3930 1088
Sulh: a settlement reached freely and with honour. Islam’s own word for what a good mediation produces.
The first question
When it helps, and when it does not
Worth trying when
Signals that mediation can help
- Both sides can still take part, even if they are not on speaking terms.
- There is something worth keeping: a family, a business, a standing in the community.
- Privacy matters more than winning.
- The answer needs designing, not imposing: a staged buy-out, an inheritance divided with care, arrangements for children.
Not the right tool when
Signals that point elsewhere
- A binding ruling is needed, and only a court can give it.
- One side cannot take part freely.
- Fear, abuse or a serious imbalance of power would make it unsafe.
- Urgent protection is needed. That comes first.
Which group your dispute falls into is not always obvious from inside it. The first conversation with us is one-sided and confidential, and its purpose is to answer this question.
If you are not safe
If you are not safe
Where there is abuse, fear or serious pressure, mediation is not appropriate. We will not run it, and no one should press you into it. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free and confidential, day and night, on 0808 2000 247.
Two pathways
Which kind of dispute?
Business Mediation
A dispute inside or between businesses
Partner deadlock, shareholder disputes, family-business conflict, disputes between firms in the same community.
Business MediationThe room, defined
Four things that are always true
- Voluntary
Nobody is forced to mediate, and either side can stop.
- Confidential and without prejudice
What is said stays in the room and, as a rule, cannot be used against you later in court. The protection is strong but not absolute: narrow exceptions exist, such as where someone’s safety is at risk.
- Neutral
The mediator takes no side, gives no legal advice and issues no religious ruling. Where a real religious question sits inside a dispute, LawFiq’s scholars can address it on request, outside the mediator’s role.
- Binding only when recorded
Nothing is agreed unless you agree it. A mediated agreement becomes enforceable when it is recorded in the right form: a signed agreement, or a court order where proceedings exist. Where regulated legal services are required, these are provided by our partner SRA-regulated law firm.
Courts in England and Wales increasingly expect people to try to settle before they litigate. In civil cases an unreasonable refusal can carry costs consequences. In family cases the court asks what non-court options have been considered.
The mediator
The person who holds the room
Owais Qarni
Founder & Principal · Accredited Mediator
An Accredited Mediator and Hafiz al-Qur’an who works in English, Arabic and Urdu. He mediates family and business disputes, and understands both of the things that matter to the people in the room: what their faith asks of them, and what English law will recognise.
Common questions
Before you decide
Can my solicitor advise me during mediation?
Yes. Mediation does not replace independent advice. Many people take advice before, between sessions, and on the terms of any agreement before they sign.
What happens if we do not reach agreement?
You are no worse off. What was said stays confidential, and every other route remains open. Many disputes that do not settle in the room settle soon afterwards.
Book a consultation
Tell us about the dispute. We will tell you whether mediation fits.
A confidential first conversation, with no commitment. If mediation is not the right tool, we will say so.
Book a consultation
Or call 020 3930 1088