Who are we?
James Craddock, who was admitted by the Law Society in 1980 and practised as a solicitor for over thirty years before retiring in 2013, is the principal of the Practice known as Hayling Mediation.
During his legal career James was an experienced commercial litigator working with small to medium sized companies. This involved, for example, contract negotiation, debt collection and a variety of court proceedings including injunctions. He also worked in general high street practices in a variety of fee-earner roles, whereby he gained a depth of prior experience unusual today, when today most lawyers practise solely in one area of law. During the later stages of his legal career, James worked as a company secretary within a variety of companies, operating in different commercial, manufacturing and service sectors. Thus James has a high level of commercial awareness when disputes arise. James’ particular area of legal interest has always been building and construction disputes, as his Welsh speaking forebears were carpenter builders whereby both his father and uncle worked within the construction industry for many decades. After retirement James has trained as both a Commercial Mediator and as a Community Mediator. Since 2013 he has acted as a Mediator in a variety of cases with or without lawyers present to advise the parties. He has also been giving his time as a volunteer with a local mediation charity by mediating for those who may not otherwise be able to afford this service. James has recently attended courses in non violent communication techniques, inter-generational mediation, mental health awareness, bereavement appreciation and elder mediation. |