Professional services:

Services are offered online and in person. To book an appointment phone +27 82 3764447 or email john@mediatorlaw.com

Areas of practice:

Mediation:

Dispute resolution and settlement negotiation in:

Business,

Family, 

Community,

Inter-Personal,

Pre- and Post-Divorce,

Labour, and 

Organizational disputes

Arbitration:

Disciplinary hearings and labour disputes; educational sector disputes

Training:

Skills training for Mediators

Supervision, assessing & mentoring of mediators

Trusts & Estates:

Wills and Trusts;

Executor and / or Administrator of Deceased Estates 

Property:

Conveyancing (through correspondents)

NGO Sector:

Non-Profit / Public Benefit Organisations / Civil Society Organisations;

Contracts:

Contract negotiations and drafting;

Voluntary Association constitutions 

About the practice:

I was educated in Lesotho and Cape Town, South Africa, where I did a BA, BA Hons and MA in history and religious studies at the University of Cape Town. 

After studying law through UNISA and doing articles, I was admitted as attorney and conveyancer in 1993 and I have been in private legal practice since then. I first trained as a mediator in 1994. 

I practised in the firm Walkers Inc from 1993 until 2012 when I started my own firm. My practice has mostly been in civil law, especially labour, insurance, contract and family law. While I was at Walkers I was part of a team working on one of the largest insurance claims in the country’s history, and I also worked as part of a team which administered the curatorship of a large group of investment companies.

Since starting my own firm I have specialised in mediation and settlement negotiations. I participated in further training through the Centre for Conflict Resolution at UCT, and am accredited by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) UK, Conflict Dynamics (Pty) Ltd, the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement and the Family Mediators’ Association of the Cape (FAMAC) as a mediator. I was a founder member of the latter in 1994. I was also a member of the steering committee which established the National Accreditation Board for Family Mediators (NABFAM) in 2011. In 2017 I completed advanced training in Mediation in Complex Company / Community Environments at the Graduate School of Business (UCT). From 2024 to 2026 I have been a director of the Association for Dispute Resolution Practitioners of South Africa NPC. 

I began training mediators in 1996. I currently coach and assess mediation trainees for Conflict Dynamics (Pty) Ltd and and I have conducted Train-the-Trainer courses on behalf of the Legal Education and Development division of the Law Society of South Africa (LEAD/LSSA).  

I also do custom designed in-house training for companies, schools, faith-based organisations and NGO's. From 2009 to 2024 together with Sandra Hitchcock on behalf of FAMAC, I trained Social Workers of the Western Cape Department of Social Development and their partner NGOs in mediation skills.

I also facilitate processes for private clients, which include organisational reviews, operational change-management processes, restructuring and strategic planning.

The Education, Training and Development Practices Sectoral Education Training Authority has accredited me to conduct outcomes-based assessments.

I have served as a trustee and board member of several schools and social development trusts, faith-based organisations and civil society organisations. 

I have been married to Elsabe Abraham since 1984 and we have two daughters and three grandchildren.