Charlotte May

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Charlotte is an accredited Civil, Commercial and Workplace mediator with specialist experience in workplace and adult care disputes and a commitment to finding positive solutions. Charlotte acts as a mediator and provides conflict resolution skills training within the UK. Her research findings on Court of Protection mediation have helped to shape the proposals for an independently evaluated Court of Protection mediation scheme.

As a solicitor and Team Leader for Legal Services at Wiltshire Council she provided specialist legal advice for over 15 years. She is an expert on community care services, mental health and mental capacity and Court of Protection law.

Charlotte has acted as a workplace mediator since 2019 when she was seconded within Wiltshire Council to promote the use of mediation across the organisation. She developed an early resolution process pilot, successfully facilitating the resolution of a number of staff disputes, with excellent ongoing outcomes; notably improved communication, working relationships and wellbeing for individuals and teams. The success of pilot led to an inhouse resolution scheme being set up based on her methodology.

Based on the resolution project, Charlotte designed the Positive Resolution Process which she now provides throughout the UK as part of her mediation services.

Charlotte has successfully mediated cases involving a wide range of workplace issues:

unfair treatment
bullying and victimisation
extended periods of sickness with conflict at work cited as contributing to illness
incidents leading to breakdown in communication making working relationships difficult to manage and causing significant upset and distress to parties
change in status of working relationship between colleagues
improving work performance
whistleblowing

Her unique approach supports clients with guidance, documentation, conflict coaching and bespoke exercises throughout process. This increases their awareness of the nature and impact of conflict, deepening their understanding about how the difficulties have arisen. With improved communication and clarity they are enabled to focus forward and reach an agreement to promote a rebuilding of trust, enhanced working relationships and a restoration of well-being.

VOLUNTARY WORK

2012-2015 volunteer mediator with Resolve West (formerly Bristol Mediation) co-mediating a variety of disputes between neighbours.

QUALIFICATIONS

LLB (Exon) 1983, Certificate Human Rights and Civil Liberties 1999

ADR Civil and Commercial Mediator 2011

CEDR Workplace Mediation Conversion (2019)

MEMBERSHIPS

Law Society

Vice Chair of the Association of South West Mediators

Civil Mediation Council

PUBLICATIONS

A Review of the EGM Report (Jordans Elder Law Journal 2012)

Court of Protection Mediation Research: Where are we in the UK? (2019)

Back

TESTIMONIALS

“From the perspective of the referrer, this was a very valuable intervention. With only a few sessions the staff involved were able to find their own resolution and move forward. There has been no repeat of the issues."

Referrer

“Charlotte did a brilliant job and move the conversation from what had happened to how we both felt individually and allowed time to consider each other’s feelings. My manager and I have continued to reshape our relationship for the good of the service we support.”

Party

"I used the resolution process to support a situation that involved a relationship breakdown between a manager and a member of staff following a grievance process. It was difficult to see how the two members of staff could recover an effective working relationship given the contact of the grievance process and the feeling that trust had been lost. The resolution process helped the two staff members communicate effectively and openly and focus together on a positive outcome."

Referrer

"The experience of the resolution process has changed my view of conflict and given me confidence"

Party