The LBA story

Lorraine established Lorraine Bramwell Associates, (LBA) in 2001 having already worked with people in conflict for many years. As an accredited mediator and nationally recognised trainer of mediators she had already had a number of years’ experience helping people find a solution to conflicts in the community, between individuals and with businesses and institutions. Committed to protecting the public and promoting the highest standards in mediation she was asked to take on a national role and led the College of Mediators for a number of years. She is still involved in the setting of professional standards at a national level but her first love has always been helping people sort out disputes and teaching others to do this well.

Lorraine Bramwell Associates is now a growing team of talented, well trained and experienced mediators. They come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and several are also professional practice consultants, practice managers and teachers of mediation. As a nationally recognised mediation training body we also have our pick of some of the best new mediators, working alongside our experienced team, bringing enthusiasm and the latest approaches and ideas.

The LBA Team

Lorraine Bramwell

Director

Lorraine has nearly 25 years’ professional experience of helping people resolve disputes. She trained as a mediator in 1995 having already had a number of years working with people in dispute in a range of situations.

She is accredited both as a Family and Civil and Commercial mediator and became a Legal Services Commission recognised mediator in 1998. Lorraine has successfully mediated many hundreds of cases and has resolved disputes in family, workplace, civil and commercial, education, voluntary sector and disability issues. She is an Approved Member of the College of Mediators, a member if the Civil Mediation Council and holds Family Mediation Council Accreditation. Lorraine also has a Master’s degree in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, degree in Psychology and a post graduate Diploma in Applied Social Studies.

Lorraine is also a well-established national trainer of mediators. She has developed and teaches a number of specialisms including consulting children in mediation and managing high conflict cases. Lorraine acts as Professional Practice Consultant to a number of other practitioners and services. Nationally, she has held the positions of both the Director and Chair of the College of Mediators and continues to play an active role in the development of mediation standards as a member of the Family Mediation Standards Board. but her first love has always been helping people find the best way forward to sort out disputes through her practice – LBA Mediation Services and teaching others to do this well by providing high quality professional Mediation training with the LBA Excellence Programme

Lee Ryan Williams

Mediation and Training Manager

Lee has extensive experience in Customer Service in a variety of different industries, and formerly was the Membership Administrator for the College of Mediators. Although not a practicing mediator, Lee is a fully trained Community and Family Mediator and uses his extensive knowledge of mediation to guide both clients and potential mediators through the mediation process. Outside of the office, Lee has a wide variety of skills and interests, especially in performing arts and has appeared numerous times on the London stage.

Mayesse Carvalho Strain

Mediator and Mediation Coordinator

Mayesse trained with LBA to work as a family mediator in 2017. She feels passionately that mediation is a better way of resolving matters. Back in Brazil Mayesse graduated as a PE teacher working with children. She has always had various roles involving contact with people of different backgrounds. Mayesse trained and worked as a customer service advisor and volunteered as a coordinator for a local Parent & toddler group. After training as a mediator she went on to volunteer with the Personal Support Unit (PSU), accompanying and supporting people who were going to court on their own. Mayesse works as a Mediator and our Mediation Coordinator and is working towards her mediation accreditation.

Patricia Martin

Mediator

Before becoming a mediator, Pat worked for 19 years with the Youth Offending Team and specialised in restorative justice between offenders & victims. She worked voluntarily for Dorset Mediation as a community mediator before training as a Family Mediator with LBA.  After training, Pat gained experience with South East London Mediation Service working with a highly experienced team before being offered a mediator position with Lorraine Bramwell Associates. Pat is a member of the College of Mediators and registered with the Family Mediation Council and has a BA Hons Psychology, an HND in Managing Health & Social Care and a Diploma in Counselling.

Carolyn Difford

Mediator

Carolyn was a Family Law Solicitor in South Africa for 30 years. This background in litigation motivated her transition to mediation and her desire to assist parties make decisions regarding the restructuring of their family unit outside of the adversarial environment of the courts. Carolyn has a B.Proc Law degree and LLM specialising in Child law

Carolyn trained as a Family Mediator with LBA in 2022 before joining Lorraine Bramwell Associates as a mediator. She is a member of the College of Mediators, The Family Mediation Council and the Family Mediation Association..

Katherine Stylianou

Accredited Mediator

Katherine has been practicing as a Family Mediator since 1996. She was recognised by the Legal Services Commission and accredited by National Family mediation in 1998 for Child only Issues cases and in 2002 for All Issues Mediation.

Katherine is a qualified barrister, whose work has focussed solely on mediation.  Her experience includes working for three South London Family Mediation services, supervising community mediation co-ordinator, being a consultant to community mediation project in Athens.  Katherine is a senior lecturer at London South Bank University, teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation skills to undergraduate students.  She has also taught on Masters and other postgraduate programmes at Westminster University and Birkbeck College.

Katherine is a recognised member of the College of Mediators and sits on their Professional Standards Committee.  She has been involved with various training of mediation, workshops and conferences.  Her latest publication is in the Family Law Journal August 2011.