Dominic’s practice is focused on helping couples reach a consensus about their future as it relates to their children, finances and housing. Dominic mediates both domestic and cross border family disputes including international child abduction, access and custody cases.

Having worked for many years in the Courts advising the judiciary in contested children’s matters and previously having worked in the field of adult psychiatry, Dominic has a range of skills, knowledge and experience which he uses to help his clients to reach agreement. His work has earned Dominic a reputation as one of the most experienced and respected mediators in the country – many of his mediation clients are referred to him by the top family lawyers in the country. For a number of years Dominic held the prestigious role of the Family Mediator member of the Family Justice Council.

Dominic is ranked as a leading family mediator by The Legal 500 UK 2020 which comments that he is “an outstanding mediator” and notes “Dominic Raeside is one of the “go-to” mediators in London, if not in England and Wales, for high-conflict mediation clients. He has a huge armoury of mediation skills which can deal with the most complex relationship breakdowns and children issues’”. Chambers HNW 2020 also ranked Dominic as a top tier mediator, noting: “”Exceptional mediator” Dominic Raeside is “very sought after” for family mediations. A source says he has “real gravitas on children matters” and “clients have faith in him.” Another interviewee, who has seen Raeside’s work, says: “He helped the parents understand how to make things easier and better for the child. I thought he did it with great skill.””

Previous editions of The Legal 500 UK have described Dominic as “calm and constructive….he is immensely experienced” and “at the top of his game; he manages to put people at ease, and has a way of unblocking even the most intractable disputes.“ The 2016 edition notes that he is “very effective for tricky children disputes” while the 2019 edition notes that Dominic can “work magic – almost like pull a rabbit out of a hat and get terrific results“….he “can usually crack even the hardest of cases“. Dominic was named Family Law Dispute Resolution Practitioner of the Year 2015.

In addition to his work as a Mediator, Dominic is a UKCP registered family and systemic psychotherapist and sees clients in conjunction with his lawyer colleagues where he offers consultation on the child related, emotional and psychological aspects of divorce and separation.

As well as being the Chief Assessor for the Family Mediation Council, Dominic is also involved in training mediators both in the UK and internationally. He was the mediator member of the Pensions Advisory Group and a member of the Family Mediation Task Force which made recommendations to improve the family mediation services in England and Wales. He was a member of the Ministry of Justice’s Voice of the Child Advisory Group and is also a member of the MiKK pool of qualified cross border family mediators and the Cross Border Family Mediators Network.

Dominic is a qualified Parenting Coordinator.

Dominic’s mediation cases include:

• Mediation involving a couple who were in their mid-sixties and had been married for over 15 years (second marriage for both). The couple had substantial assets. Over the period of six months and five mediation meetings the couple separated, initiated divorce proceedings and, in mediation, successfully negotiated all of their financial arrangements which were recorded into a binding financial consent order without the need for any formal court proceedings.
• Mediation involving a dispute over schooling. The parents had been separated for a number of years and their financial and children arrangements had already been settled. A mediation meeting was held with the parents where their views and preferences were discussed. It was agreed that the son’s views should be taken into account. A child inclusive mediation meeting was held with their son who was very clear about his schooling preference. The results of this meeting were communicated to the parents who agreed to abide by the son’s wishes and agreed how this decision would be fed back to their son to avoid any feelings of guilt on his part.
• Mediation concerning the relocation of a mother with her three young children to Australia following the mother’s application for leave to remove. There had been a violent incident in the past and, following an appropriate safeguarding assessment, the mother was willing to meet the father in the safe environment afforded by mediation. After a number of meetings the father agreed to the mother moving to Australia and arrangements were agreed for scheduled visits and regular contact via skype with the children. The mother withdrew her application for leave to remove.
• Mediation between a lesbian couple and a gay male friend who had fathered a child for the couple. The couple had since separated with the mother starting a relationship with another woman. The father had a contact order but the child was refusing to visit. The father made an application for contact with the child. The matter was referred to mediation by the Court. The outcome of mediation was that the father agreed to withdraw the Court proceedings and the mothers agreed to encourage the child to begin to see the father again. Matters were reviewed in mediation which led to the child agreeing to see her father again.