Expert Mediators in the UAE
Crowther Mediation is an independent mediation firm providing Family, Civil and Workplace mediation in the UAE.
Our team also offer mediation training and supervision to mediators and HR departments across the UAE and the UK. Our on-line service is tailored to suit the needs of our clients and we are proud of the reputation we have developed over the years.
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Meet our highly-trained Mediators
Nicola Crowther
After a successful career practicing Civil, Commercial and Family Law in North East England for over twelve years, Nicola retrained as a Mediator in 2010. Nicola is an accredited member of the Family Mediation Association and the Civil Mediation Council. She is also a Professional Practice Consultant (PPC) responsible for the training and supervision of other mediators. Nicola is an elected board member of the Family Mediation Association.
Areas of expertise:
Nicola deals with Civil and Commercial Mediations, often on an international basis, dealing more specifically with contractual disputes in a broad spectrum, from individuals to Plcs.
Family Mediation, including financial and child issues. Nicola specialises in assisting high net worth clients to negotiate financial settlements and is qualified to consult directly with children during the mediation process.
Mediation Style:
Nicola has strong negotiating skills with an engaging and collaborative style. She is quick to grasp the issues and engage the parties in looking for solutions. Whilst showing a degree of empathy and understanding for the often difficult situations she is faced with, she takes a practical approach to moving parties towards resolution.
Judith Young
Judith is an accredited member of the Family Mediation Council and the Civil Mediation Council. Judith specialised as a solicitor in family law and civil litigation for over 20 years before training as a mediator. Judith is passionate about mediation as a form of dispute resolution and as such she joined Crowther Mediation in 2021 to concentrate on her career in this field. Judith brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience, proving beneficial to clients and colleagues alike.
Areas of Expertise
Judith specialises in all areas of family mediation, including financial issues and arrangements for children. Judith has a particular interest in complex private law children matters (i.e. child arrangements) and parental alienation. She works well with vulnerable clients with complex needs. In particular, Judith has a wealth of experience dealing with high net worth cases and business assets.
Judith is also an accredited civil and commercial mediator and has a successful track record in resolving contractual disputes and partnership dissolutions. Her knowledge of complex family issues lends itself to successful outcomes in probate disputes and cases involving family businesses.
Mediation Style
Judith has been described by clients as pragmatic and approachable. Her many years of experience have allowed her to develop options and help clients find solutions. She understands how being independent, impartial and providing a confidential, safe space for discussions can release possibilities, choices and ways forward for people, previously stuck. Seeing this happen makes Judith passionate about her role as a mediator and all the more determined to help her clients find a resolution.
John Healy
After a successful career, spanning two decades, in lettings and property management, John sold his company and retrained as a Civil, Commercial and Workplace Mediator. He joined Crowther Mediation in 2023 and has become a valued member of the team. John is a member of the Civil Mediation Council UAE and the DIFC Mediation Hub MENA.
Area of Expertise
John specialises in Civil, Commercial and Workplace Mediations on an international basis, in the UAE and UK.
John’s experiences in business and obvious abilities as a mediator allow him to achieve successful outcomes for clients in contractual disputes, land and property disputes and agricultural disputes.
Having managed his own successful company for a number of years, John also shows great insight in Workplace Mediations. He is quick to identify the issues and move the parties into practical, problem solving.
Mediation Style
John’s background and wealth of experience are evidenced in his mediation style. He approaches his cases with equal measures of pragmatism and empathy. John’s ability to help clients to identify their own solutions, has earned him a reputation for salvaging business relationships and as well as employer/employee relationships. This can only happen, when both parties are satisfied with the outcome – the benchmark of excellence for any mediator.
Natasja Pollemans
After more than a decade of success in private legal practice in Australia and the UAE, Natasja Pollemans transitioned in 2025 to focus exclusively on mediation and arbitration and joined Crowther Mediation. She is a qualified civil/commercial and family mediator.
Areas of Expertise
Natasja brings over 12 years of experience as a dispute resolution lawyer, having advised on a broad range of complex civil and commercial matters. Her legal background has equipped her with deep analytical skills, a strategic mindset, and a strong track record of achieving favourable outcomes through negotiation and tailored dispute resolution approaches.
In addition to her commercial work, Natasja regularly assists individuals in navigating family disputes. She understands the unique interplay of legal, relational, and emotional factors in these cases and is qualified to engage directly with children as part of the mediation process.
Natasja is also training as a workplace mediator, building on her substantial experience advising on employment and workplace-related issues in her legal career.
Mediation Style
Natasja is known for her warm, collaborative, and empathetic approach. Clients frequently commend her ability to listen deeply and create a supportive yet pragmatic environment for resolution. She focuses on moving parties forward with clarity and respect, always aiming for outcomes that meet both the practical and personal needs of those involved.
Natasja believes strongly in the value of mediation as a constructive and empowering process for resolving disputes and is committed to helping every client find a durable and positive path forward.
Gayatri Shetty
Gayatri is a member of the Singapore Bar and a family lawyer by training. She worked at a boutique law firm in Singapore in family law, handling complex, long-drawn-out cases, the acrimony of which drew her to mediation as a career choice, especially when it involves children. Gayatri is a qualified family and child-inclusive mediator.
Areas of Expertise
Gayatri’s legal background has equipped her not only to have a deep understanding of family law but to appreciate the legal challenges expats are faced with within the UAE as a jurisdiction when it comes to divorce, given the presence of interracial marriages, global assets, lifestyles unique to and children raised in this region. Gayatri herself has lived in various countries such as India, Singapore, USA and now the UAE, making her cultural exposure diverse and apt to family mediation in the region, given the melting pot that the UAE is today. Her own personal endurance of family law also makes family mediation a natural extension of her life.
Mediation Style
Gayatri’s mediation style embodies her fundamental views around divorce: that it is a natural transition to be embraced as life evolves, change being a constant. Gayatri feels passionately about the autonomy of diverse living arrangements that family mediation facilitates, reflecting the zeitgeist of the times and sees it not just as a way to navigate but to normalise diverse living arrangements on a societal level, the latter of immense meaning and purpose to her. Given that, she mediates with empathy, openness and respect.
Yasmine Ben Cheikh
Yasmine is a family mediator who deeply believes in the power of dialogue to resolve conflicts. She holds master’s degrees in Business Law and Comparative Law and has built her career across different countries and legal systems. After several years as a Senior Legal Counsel in Dubai advising on corporate, civil, commercial, and employment matters, her own experience of divorce and co-parenting inspired her to move towards mediation to help families navigate transitions with greater calm and clarity.
Areas of Expertise
Having lived in Dubai for many years, Yasmine understands the realities of raising a family there, including education, daily arrangements, and the challenges faced by expatriate and mixed-nationality families. She is comfortable working with international families to find solutions suited to their context. Trained in children inclusion mediation, she ensures children’s voices remain central in decisions. Fluent in English and French and conversational in Arabic, she connects easily across cultures. She also has strong knowledge of art and real estate, areas often relevant in asset division or inheritance, and believes fair solutions must address both financial and emotional aspects.
Mediation Style
Yasmine’s approach is calm, compassionate, and structured. She creates a safe space where each person feels heard and guides families to build clear, practical agreements. For her, mediation is rooted in empathy, dignity, and balance, helping people move forward with confidence and find peaceful solutions in times of change.
Claire Dungait
Claire joined Crowther Mediation as Practice Manager following a career in Personal Finance and Client Relations for 15 years.
Claire is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the business, as well as arranging appointments and speaking with clients directly. As such she is often the first point of contact for clients and is able to answer questions regarding the mediation process. Claire is also the person who will address any queries between mediation meetings.
Claire has a positive, friendly and approachable manner which immediately puts clients at ease. Her unwavering ‘can do’ attitude lends itself perfectly to accommodating the needs of our clients and arranging appointments to suit all parties.
Laura Leonard
Laura is a valued member of our support staff. Laura is responsible for liaising directly with clients to arrange mediation sessions and as such she is often the first point of contact for clients. Laura is very knowledgeable about the mediation process and is able to answer questions, putting clients at ease.
Laura also does a lot of work ‘behind the scenes’ ensuring the mediation process runs as smoothly as possible for client and mediator alike!
