David Allison

David is a director and senior family mediator at Family Law in Partnership. David has mediated since 2003 and has senior mediator status with the Family Mediators Association.  David’s mediation work covers all issues although he has particular expertise in financial claims on divorce or separation, particularly those with an international element.  David is well known for his expertise in the legal issues affecting cohabitants, same sex couples and civil partners.

David is available to conduct mediations either online or in person.  He offers sole and co-mediation and regularly mediates complex/difficult cases with lawyers involved as part of the process, often in cases ‘on the doorstep of the court’.

David is ranked as a Leading Individual for family mediation by Legal 500 2024 and 2023 noting that he “can handle the most confrontational and complex situations well”. Chambers UK 2021 highlights David for his collaborative approach to mediation and Legal 500 rank David as a leading family mediator. Legal 500 UK comments: “David Allison is superb – he grasps the issues quickly, is no nonsense, genuinely cares about the clients and is excellent value for money” and “David Allison is very experienced in mediation. He is extremely calm and very skillful at diffusing potentially inflamed situations”. 

David is a member of both the International Academy of Family Lawyers, where he is chair of the LGBT committee, and the UK & Ireland LGBT Family Law Institute. He is a former chair of the International Family Law Committee of the American Bar Association, International Section and is a past chair of Resolution, the family lawyers association.

David’s recent mediation work has included:

• David mediated between a couple where a large proportion of the couple’s wealth had been inherited by one party. The mediation examined the extent to which one party should receive ongoing support from the other in the case of a short marriage and a relatively young couple.
• David mediated a case involving the parents of a young child where both parents had raised protection issues concerning the child. Substantial progress was reached in mediation and the framework of care for the child was agreed.
• David mediated the terms of a financial settlement between a couple in a same sex marriage. The matter involved complex immigration elements and issues concerning contribution.