Independent Mediators are very proud to announce that all ten of our members have been listed in the top tiers of the mediators section in the new edition of Legal 500 released in October 2024. This is a tremendous achievement for all.
We are delighted with the rankings and are extremely grateful to all our instructing solicitors and clients for their support in helping us to both achieve and maintain them.
Full listings for each of our Mediators can be found below. You can also click through to the mediators individual page (click on their name) to download their CV and see more information.
Stuart Chapman A former partner and litigation head at Pinsent Masons LLP‘ Leeds office, Independent Mediators‘ Stuart Chapman is ‘an excellent commercial litigation mediator – a go-to choice for cases of value or of complexity. Stuart is always well prepared, and has the ability to get to the heart of the dispute and adapt his approach to fit both the issues in the case and the parties’. Conducting over 700 mediations since he began mediating in 2008, Chapman mediates general commercial, construction, insolvency and insurance claims. A mediation Fellow of the Civil Mediation Council, he is also appointed to resolve partnership, professional negligence and shareholder disputes.
Rebecca Clark Joining Independent Mediators in 2023, Rebecca Clark is ‘calm, but forceful when required. She has a great grasp of the detail and issues within cases, and is very good at challenging a party’s position in a measured and balanced way’. Former Chair of the Civil Mediation Council, Clark mediates commercial disputes involving shareholders, insolvencies, warranty claims, and breaches of contract and duty. Leveraging her former role as litigation head at UK Asset Resolution, she is particularly experienced in financial services, professional negligence and regulatory litigation. Clark is also sought after for her SME and family business mediation experience.
Phillip Howell-Richardson Phillip Howell-Richardson at Independent Mediators is ‘an extremely personable mediator, who gains all parties’ trust quickly and has a very polite and helpful demeanour, which is very useful in mediation contexts’. Mediating since 1991, and full-time since 2005, Howell-Richardson’s experience includes claims over commercial contracts, international disputes involving governments, banking and finance issues, fraud, and insurance matters. He also mediates in relation to professional negligence claims, insolvencies, engineering, real estate, IP, sport, employment, and oil and gas-related disputes. Howell-Richardson’s expertise additionally covers group actions involving both large and small numbers of claimants.
Kate Jackson Qualified as a lawyer both in England and Wales and New York, ex-Magic Circle litigator Kate Jackson of Independent Mediators‘ is ‘a first-class mediator. She is exceptionally well prepared, bright, grasps the issues quickly, and explains points well to the parties‘. Increasingly mandated to resolve high-value, high-profile cases, Jackson recently mediated over 40 commercial mediations in a 12-month period. Such appointments included multi-party and multi day mediations, both in the UK and internationally. In addition to her enviable commercial mediation practice, Jackson mediates specialist areas such as technology, private client, sports, art, and media.
Michel Kallipetis KC The former head of Littleton Chambers, Independent Mediators’ Michel Kallipetis KC is ‘an extremely capable mediator with both gravitas and empathy. He cuts through to the nub of claims and can sift through quantities of documents to get to the key points’. Kallipetis mediates disputes concerning partnerships, banking, insurance and re-insurance, as well as employment matters involving racial and sex discrimination claims and pension rights. He also assists with disputes over solicitors and valuers’ negligence claims, medical negligence, personal injury, construction, engineering, and large-value commercial disputes. Averaging approximately 80 mediations a year, Kallipetis has been appointed in over 1,750 mediations during his career.
Jonathan Lloyd-Jones Practising exclusively with Independent Mediators since 2012, Jonathan Lloyd-Jones is ‘unflappable – determined to do all that he can to help achieve resolutions, he is able to gain the trust of different types of client’. Lloyd-Jones’ caseload covers a wide range of commercial areas, including negligence claims against a range of professionals, from solicitors, accountants, IFAs and insurance brokers to architects and surveyors. He also mediates insurance industry disputes and is experienced in claims for fraud-based restitution, breaches of restrictive covenants by departing employees, insolvency disputes, and construction and property matters. A qualified commercial mediator since 1991, Lloyd-Jones has been appointed in over 900 mediations to date.
Mark Lomas KC A full-time mediator since 2009, Independent Mediators‘ Mark Lomas KC is ‘a truly excellent mediator. He has gravitas and he works hard to analyse and understand the issues in the case. This allows him to be very effective in getting the parties to face the reality of their situation‘. Averaging approximately 70 to 80 mediations each year, Lomas’ recent appointments concern professional negligence claims against solicitors, accountants, architects, construction professionals, financial advisers, and insurance brokers. He is also experienced in insurance, probate, property, trust, commercial and insolvency disputes. Also an associate tenant of Littleton Chambers, Lomas took silk in 2003.
Bill Marsh A full-time mediator since 1991, Bill Marsh at Independent Mediators has ‘every tool at his disposal as a mediator. He puts all parties at ease, talks common sense, and gets results using his intellect and skills‘. Marsh’s wide-ranging experience encompasses commercial disputes, both in the UK and internationally, in relation to commercial contracts, product liability, professional negligence, and shareholder issues. His track record also includes mediating disputes over sports, medical negligence, personal injury, pensions, IT, shipping, and insurance and reinsurance. At an international level, Marsh’s track record includes disputes in India, France, Canada, US, Switzerland and Spain, as well as Italy, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the Balkans.
Andrew Paton A former partner at Pinsent Masons LLP, Independent Mediators‘ Andrew Paton ‘develops a great rapport with clients. He won’t allow mediations to flounder, rather he keeps parties laser focused on achieving a deal‘. With approximately 1365 mediations to date, Paton regularly mediates over 60 cases per year. In a recent 12-month period, half of Paton’s mediations concerned professional negligence claims in relation to solicitors, barristers, accountants, architects, engineers, surveyors, financial advisors, and insurance brokers. CEDR-accredited since 1993, Paton also maintains a highly active construction mediation practice, and is regularly appointed for insurance, property, shareholder, tort, trust and commercial law-related mediations.
Jane Player Appointed directly by corporations, in-house counsel and leading law firms, Jane Player of Independent Mediators is a ‘superb, go-to mediator for her no-nonsense and direct style. Her willingness to challenge parties and not shy away from asking difficult direct questions is very refreshing’. A full-time mediator since 2017, Player focuses on general corporate and contractual claims, and fraud and project-related disputes, as well as pharmaceutical, energy, technology, IP, and media-related claims. A former King & Spalding LLP partner, Player also has notable experience in international dispute resolution, including the management of the cross-cultural aspects of joint venture and international shareholder disputes.