THE FAMILY MEDIATION GROUP LONDON - Key Persons

Austin Chessell - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Founder
  • Family Solicitor
  • Member of Resolution
Austin covers Central London, North London, East London, West London and South London He trained as a Family Mediator in 2009 at Hertfordshire Family Mediation Service. He is an accredited Family Mediator with the Family Mediation Council and the Law Society. Austin is a member of Resolution and the Family Mediator's Association. He is approachable and helpful to clients, and clearly explains whatever clients need to know about mediation and works hard to help them come to proposals that suit both clients and their families. Austin is involved in charity work in his free time. He was a member of the National Association of Child Contact Centres and previously volunteered in Contact Centres. Austin is also a Family Solicitor. He was an Honorary Legal Advisor at the Citizen's Advice Bureau. He formed a Family Mediation clinic at the Central Family Court and was previously involved with the Family Mediation service at Barnet Family Court. Austin formed the London Family Mediation Group in 2011 for mediators and non-mediator professionals to share ideas on good family mediation practice. He has written and spoken for the Solicitors Journal from 2011 - 2017 on Family Dispute Resolution topics. Austin plays football, and likes running and cooking.

Bettina Siddiqi

Bettina assists with administration and organising Family Mediation Centre networking events. She lives with her partner and two children in Maidenhead.

Guin Bell

Job Titles:
  • Consultant Family Mediator
Guin is a trained Family Mediator and is registered with the Family Mediation Association and the Family Mediation Council. Guin completed the FMA Family Mediation training. She has an Honours Degree in Psychology and has worked as a counsellor, mentor, trainer and group facilitator.

Jane Mace

Job Titles:
  • Consultant Family Mediator
Jane grew up in Norfolk and moved to London at the age of 18. After graduating with an honours degree in French and German, she joined the Civil Service fast stream and worked for several years as a tax inspector. Experience as a Mckenzie Friend in race equality complaint cases helped her obtain a post as the Chairman's aide at the Commission for Racial Equality, and she later headed up the diversity drive for two government departments. She is a member of her local Race Equality Council. Jane's legal and accounting knowledge inform her mediation, and she is a seasoned negotiator. She combines her ability to assimilate large amounts of complex information with a natural warmth and empathy. She is a member of the Family Mediators Association and the Family Mediation Council.

Margaret Kelly-Edwards

Job Titles:
  • Consultant Family Mediator
Margaret is a skilled, talented, and experienced family solicitor and practitioner, qualifying in the UK in 1982, and in Australia in 1985. She is an accredited mediator having completed her initial training in 1995. She qualified as a hybrid mediator in 2018. Margaret is a family arbitrator qualified to hear cases about financial matters and children. She sits as a Deputy District Judge in London and is able to draw from the knowledge and skills acquired in that role when working on cases.