Law without the Latin

Tristan Harvey is an award-winning barrister, mediator, evaluator and part-time judge in the field of family law. He joins us, in this episode recorded in 2024, to explain the different options for non-court dispute resolution. His unique expertise, compassion and dedication to reducing conflict sing through in our conversation. Thank you, Tristan, for joining us and sharing your sought-after insights from your award-winning practice.

Here are some of the questions we asked Tristan.

1. How do you describe what mediation is and how it works?

2. When a couple begin mediation and they bring the whole range of issues – children, living arrangements, maintenance – how do you decide what order to deal with things? How do you tackle the morass of issues that walk through your door?

3. What do you encounter as the main roadblock preventing people locked in dispute from finding common ground?

4. How can that be fixed or worked through?

5. Do you think some people are incapable of compromise? Have you witnessed people change and develop as you have worked with them?

6. What do people need to bring to mediation to get the most out of it?

7. Have there been times when you have failed in following your own advice on compromise?

10. If you could change on thing about the system what would it be?

11. What is your main advice when a friend or family member goes through divorce or separation?

This hour-long episode is packed with divorce solicitor insight about the (relatively) new no-fault divorce process, what newly separated people might need to think about and how lawyers’ pricing models are changing, hopefully for the better.

Our discussion with Georgina includes:

• How the divorce process has changed from fault based to no-fault.
• How to apply for a divorce (make sure you have your marriage certificate!) – breaking down the three stages.
• The benefit of using other non-lawyer professionals during separation - such as therapists, divorce coaches and consultants - to support the client’s emotional journey and work as a team.
• Why it is important not to get the final (divorce) order before you have a final agreement on finances.
• Understanding that divorce, finances on divorce and child arrangements are three distinct legal considerations.
• That you need to have a court approved order in your finances on divorce even if you agreed the outcome (see the toolkit for the Fair Shares report we discussed)
• The most common questions Georgina is asked when a client first instructs her. The most common being – “will I get to keep my home?”
• Her golden nuggets of advice for anyone getting divorced.
• Private FDRs (a private (non court) hearing aimed at settling finances on divorce)
• How point scoring is a thing of the past – think about the future when you’re communicating in the present.
• What changes she would like to see in our field (spoiler – cohabitation reform!)
• A new initiative called Assent. Georgina is a founding member of the Assent model. Assent offers a revolutionary system for keeping fees fixed, sticking to timetables and ensuring clients and professionals adopt a solution focussed mindset to get to an outcome on finances.

All links to resources discussed in the episode appear in the toolkit on our website here. 

About Georgina

Georgina Hamblin has two young boys and lives with her husband in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent.

She takes great pride in helping other families safeguard their own prosperity and happiness for the future, and is committed to shaping Hamblin Family Law around her own core values of integrity, respect and representing others how she would wish to be represented herself.

Georgina is ranked as a ‘Leading Partner’ in the Legal 500 (2025) with references stating that she “offers a sensitive and bespoke service” and “is phenomenal litigator, but equally confident in non-court dispute resolution”. She has also recently been shortlisted for International Citywealth Powerwomen’s “Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year 2025”.

Aside from her impressive legal career, Georgina is a cold-water swimmer and avid yoga enthusiast. She also enjoys sailing, long walks in nature, a country pub and plenty of time in the sun!

Before focusing on becoming a lawyer she was on the British Equestrian Dressage Team for many years and won a bronze medal at the European Championships.

What a woman!

About this Episode

This hour-long episode is packed with insight about family mediation, disputes within families and how to enter ‘difficult conversations’, Philippa’s favoured definition of mediation. A key takeaway, we think, is Philippa’s perspective on the role of personal ‘narrative’ – and being ‘right’ - within family disputes (at min 8:15 to 12:44).

Our discussion with Philippa includes:

• What is mediation and how does it work?
• Misunderstandings about mediation.
• When a couple begin mediation and they bring the whole range of issues – children, living arrangements, maintenance – how do you decide what order to deal with things? How do you tackle the morass of issues that walk through your door?
• The main roadblocks preventing people locked in dispute from finding common ground.
• Are some people incapable of compromise?
• How to get the best out of mediation.
• Reflections on the ‘system’ and what needs to change.

About Philippa

Philippa Johnson is an FMCA mediator, qualified to meet with children within mediation (child-inclusive mediation). In 2012, she founded Turner & Johnson Mediation with Sheila Turner, offering co-mediation and an integrated approach to mediation, with a focus on creating the right mediation environment for each individual family. She is a former chair of the Family Mediators Association (FMA) and is currently on the FMA Board. She provides other family mediators of all levels of experience with training, including as a foundation trainer for the FMA and training in the integrated approach, and also acts as a supervisor for other family mediators. Philippa was one of two editorial consultants for the family mediation ‘bible’, Lisa Parkinson’s Family Mediation (4th edition) and was also the editor of Lisa's most recent book, Conversations with Young People.

Philippa was called to the Bar in 1999, is a member of Middle Temple and has worked for over 20 years as a legal consultant to barristers, solicitors, publishers, and legal organisations, providing family specialists with information on changes in family law. Philippa is particularly well known in the family law world for her work as a law reporter (she is now the lead reporter on the Family Court Reports), and as the former Executive Director of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (now the International Academy of Family Lawyers).

Philippa describes herself as most interested in people, with words running a very close second – reading, writing and performing them – she worries that sometimes all the words can get in the way of the people. 

About Courtney

Courtney is a female founded start-up in the justice tech space. Our online hub will provide a wealth of visual and digestible learning, crafted by leading experts, for taking care of your divorce or separation.

This isn’t legal advice. It’s legal empowerment.

Welcome to the legal wellbeing revolution!

Courtney launches soon. 

To sign up for updates go to https://courtney.legal

Help us grow our online community by following us on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtney.legal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/courtney-legal

Subscribe and follow us for updates on future episodes.

Sophie and Samantha, two of our five founders, introduce themselves and Courtney, the legal know-how hub for all. 

Courtney is a female founded start-up in the justice tech space. Our online hub will provide a wealth of visual and digestible learning, crafted by leading experts, for taking care of your divorce or separation. 

This isn’t legal advice. It’s legal empowerment.

Welcome to the legal wellbeing revolution!

Courtney launches soon at https://courtney.legal

Upcoming podcasts will feature renowned experts on family law disputes (and how to fix them).

Help us grow our online community by following us on: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtney.legal/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/courtney-legal

Subscribe and follow us for updates on future episodes.