Welcome, my name is
Karen Sutherland
Throughout my years of practice in Family Law and in the field of Child Protection, working with families has shown me that conflict can be a profound opportunity for growth. By facing challenges with self-awareness, individuals can transform difficult situations into moments of deep personal and interpersonal development.
Traditional legal battles often fracture families and create lasting wounds. Instead, a carefully structured, and focused mediation can narrow down the dispute, providing both clarity and an opportunity for resolution.
My passion is in Child Protection and in helping people strip away their emotional triggers so they can approach their disputes from a centered space. I help people engage in disputes not as adversaries but as individuals seeking understanding through communication. Instead of legal battles that deepen divisions, mediation can become the primary path to resolution.
My story
I started my career as a Family Lawyer at Brodies in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was then appointed by the Scottish Government as a Children’s Hearing Panel Member where I made decisions about vulnerable children at round table discussions with the child, family and relevant professionals present.
I was employed as a Children’s Reporter in Scotland, where I would assess whether children at risk were in need of compulsory measures of intervention, chair Children’s Hearings, and represent the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration in court if grounds of referral to the Children’s Hearing were disputed, or decisions appealed.
I practiced as a Family Lawyer at Gibson Kerr in Edinburgh representing clients in Divorce, Financial Provision on Divorce, Spousal and Child Aliment, International Child Abduction, International Child Relocation, Deprivation of Parental Rights, Child Contact and Residence disputes.
I read law at Edinburgh University, Scotland. I studied Counselling and Communication at The South African College of Applied Psychology in Cape Town, South Africa. I am a Family Law Mediator, Solicitor, and Trauma Informed Solicitor - all licensed and/or accredited by the Law Society of Scotland.
I offer private, voluntary, non legally binding mediation services and lifestyle coaching services under Mediation First Lifestyle Consultants L.L.C FZ which operates from Meydan Free Zone, Dubai.
My legal background, mediation and counselling skills, and multicultural experience allows me to bring a unique perspective to mediation and to create a safe space to discuss, explore and consider alternative solutions to litigation.
