Family Mediation Voucher Scheme Extended Until March 2026
The Government’s Family Mediation Voucher Scheme has been extended until March next year, offering £500 to help couples resolve family disputes before they reach court.
Richard Phillips
Family, Children & Separation
Senior Consultant Solicitor, Mediator and Collaborative Lawyer, Private Family Law Team
Contact Information
Testimonials
The stand-out individual is Richard Phillips, Senior Consultant Solicitor. He builds up an excellent rapport with his clients, is very committed and has dogged determination.
Legal 500 2026
Richard Phillips's ability to get to the heart of disputes and identify key issues is invaluable, and his detailed, well-structured mediation reports provide a clear and effective foundation for further discussions.
Legal 500 2026
I have had the pleasure of working with Richard Phillips on numerous cases over the years and have always been impressed by Richard's exceptional expertise and professionalism. Richard is a highly experienced family Law Mediator, very approachable and supportive, with a pragmatic and compassionate manner that puts clients and solicitors at ease.
Legal 500 2026
Richard Phillips is a great solicitor. Very much a "safe pair of hands". Hard working, reliable, good judgment, always tries to settle cases where possible. Has an enormous amount of experience which feeds into his case preparation and advice.
Legal 500 2025
It's been a tough year and I would like to say thank you for help and understanding my position I couldn't of done it without your help and knowledge I am most grateful to you and wish you all the best.
Thanks for all your help today - you are and have been such amazing support.
Thank you for everything, I know it was a long process but we got there in the end.
I have been very pleased to work with Richard Phillips during my divorce. I feel confident he really understands my situation and has consistently given me sound and thorough advice. He has a kind, reassuring and pragmatic approach that is so helpful during what has been a very stressful process. I feel he has gone above and beyond to see my case to where it is today and his recommendations have proven to be spot on time and time again.
Legal 500 2024
Richard Phillips has always impressed me, he is sensible and focused on getting the best possible outcome for his clients. Richard has excellent judgement and is a pleasure to work with. He gives good, sensible, commercial advice and ensures that any cases that can settle do.
Legal 500 2024
Richard was exceptional in his handling of my case. I would recommend him to anyone. He was absolutely brilliant.
Excellent service from Richard Phillips, very professional, accessible and clear advice leading to a successful outcome.
I am very happy with the support I got throughout my divorce, I felt Richard really understood my situation and worked hard to give me excellent advice and help.
Richard thank you for your professionalism in helping with the divorce. I would recommend you to anybody going through the same difficult process.
I just wanted to write to say thank you for all your work and support throughout my separation and divorce. Appreciate this is your day job, but it felt right to let you know how much I appreciated your help and how important it was. You are a busy man but were consistently available to me and always there to offer calm, expert and attentive advice and guidance
Richard Phillips is great to work with. He’s sensible, astute, pragmatic and always focused on getting the best possible results.
Legal 500 2023
I’ve worked with Richard Phillips who always strikes me as sensible and proportionate in approach with excellent judgement.
Legal 500 2023
I just wanted to say thanks for your support and guidance over the last year.
Richard thank you for your kindness and patience through all of this. You have been so amazing.
Mrs G
Richard Phillips is an established practitioner whom a client describes as "a charming character who is personable and likeable." He assists clients with high-value matrimonial finance matters, often involving pension assets.
Chambers 2020
Richard Phillips is lauded as 'a delightful individual and a resolution seeker.' He is a mediator and collaborative lawyer, and one satisfied client asserts that 'I had absolute confidence that, while he was gentle in the way he proceeded, he could be a Jack Russell when needed.
Chambers 2015
Richard Phillips is first ranked in Chambers UK 2014 and is recommended for his expertise in high-value matrimonial finance matters. One impressed interviewee affirms: 'I rate Richard very highly. He is very able and gives sensible advice to his clients.
Chambers 2016
Thank you for the very valuable role you played in mediation between my wife and I recently. Your service was entirely impartial and delivered in a gentle but very professional manner.
Mr H
I am very pleased that you are helping me. I do have great confidence in you and it is helping me to settle down in between my anxious moments.
Mr A
It has been lovely to work with you, albeit in awful circumstances.
Ms J
It’s been a journey and I couldn’t have done it without you, so from me a really big thank you for your support and guidance through what has been a challenging experience.
Mr S
I would like to thank Richard for his work during a most difficult time for me.
Mr A
Thank you so much for all your hard work. I do trust you, you are a decent, honest thoughtful human.
Mrs G
Thank you so much for all your hard work and support - it paid off in the end!
Mrs W
I was very impressed and can not think of any area that I feel needed improving
Thank you again for your effort and support - I’m in a much better place now thanks to you.
Thank you Richard, was a pleasure working with you.
I wanted to thank you for your time, advice and patience
Richard Phillips assists clients with high-value matrimonial finance cases, as well as handling prenuptial arrangements and children matters. Sources note: "He is sensible, approachable and brings a lot of experience to the table."
Chambers 2021
Thank you very much Richard for all your advice and help along the way.
Richard Phillips is a standout mediator. It is not uncommon for family law clients to dislike mediation but Richard always manages to keep clients in the process and on board
Legal 500 2022
Thank you very much Richard for all your advice and help along the way.
Very knowledgeable and informative
Professional and prompt service.
Thank you for your assistance and advice.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent job you have done for me!
Richard has a very calming energy which helps us enormously, and is making the process much less daunting.
About Richard
Richard has been a qualified solicitor for over 34 years. He has dealt with a wide variety of cases ranging from complex financial matters to children’s cases, domestic abuse, pre and post Nuptial Agreements and disputes involving unmarried people.
His clients have ranged from senior business people, entrepreneurs, professionals, sports people, lawyers, doctors and home makers.
Examples of Richard’s recent work include:-
- Acting for a husband in financial proceedings where the assets exceeding £25 million and involved the sale of a well-known company.
- Negotiating a separation agreement where the assets exceed £12 million.
- Acting for a wife throughout her divorce where enforcement proceedings were necessary to evict the husband from the former family home.
- Negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement which involve foreign assets and foreign jurisdictions.
Although Richard is sometimes involved in court proceedings, he is also an accredited mediator and collaborative lawyer with a considerable level of experience. He has helped to resolve many difficult cases through careful, practical and sensitive discussions. On occasion these will involve the client’s solicitors and others professionals including counsellors, accountants and valuers.
Memberships and Accolades
- Member, Resolution
- Member, Family Mediation Council
- Resolution accredited specialist family lawyer in both Complex Financial Remedy cases (low to medium net worth) and Private Law Children cases
- Richard has been ranked Band 1 in Chambers and Partners
- ‘Key Lawyer’ in the Legal 500 for family law (2025 and 2026)
Approach to work
“It is very important that solutions are tailored to a client’s personal circumstances. Usually that will mean resolving any issues without the cost, stress and uncertainty of court proceedings. However there are times when court is necessary to protect a client and/or a child’s best interests. If that is the case I will pursue that firmly but always leave the door open to a resolution.”
Please note this online tool is not for mediation clients – please call us on 01442 872311 to arrange mediation.
Specialist practice areas
- Divorce, dissolution and separation following marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation
- Mediation and collaborative law
- Financial cases where there is middle to high net worth, foreign assets and businesses or complex financial arrangements
- Private Children Act cases including:
- Internal and external relocation
- Residence/contact
- Prohibited steps/specific issues
- Child abduction
- Civil partnerships
- Prenuptial arrangements
- Domestic abuse
- Adoption
- Forced Marriage Protection Orders
Latest news by Richard Phillips
Resolving Separation: How family mediation can make a difference
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Mediation assessment rules updated to help divorcing couples
The Family Procedure Rules have been updated to improve the level of attendance by divorcing couples at mediator initial assessment meetings (MIAMs). The government has introduced the changes because the previous rules were not applied to the extent expected and did not divert couples away from court proceedings and towards mediation to the degree that
Early legal advice for separating couples but no mandatory mediation
Separating couples will get early legal advice as part of the Government’s family court reforms, but the idea of introducing mandatory mediation has been scrapped. A legal advice pilot will be launched to help families agree child arrangements quickly, addressing barriers to early resolution including a lack of understanding of the options available such as
Family Mediation
With Family Mediation Week due to take place between 22-26 January 2024, we explain some key points about family mediation and how the process works. Family Mediation – What is it? Family mediation is designed to assist divorcing or separating couples reach an agreement in relation to financial and/or children matters that arise as a
Actress Sophie Turner and ex-husband use mediation in custody dispute
Actress Sophie Turner and her ex-husband, singer Joe Jonas, have used mediation to reach a shared custody agreement for their two children. The couple had previously announced that they divorced amicably but then the Game of Thrones star sued Jonas, claiming he hadn’t let their daughters return to England from the US. However, they then