Elizabeth Ling

Let’s meet… Elizabeth Ling

Elizabeth brings extensive dispute resolution experience to her role as a mediator after amassing almost three decades of experience entrenched in resolving disputes among neighbours, communities and colleagues.

Having worked for 28 years in Social Housing, she has handled complex County Court possession claims relating to rent arrears and anti-social behaviour on behalf of Local Authority landlords, consistently balancing the role of property repossession with efforts to prevent homelessness. This dual responsibility required her to mediate between the authority’s needs and the tenants’ welfare, positioning her as both a support figure and enforcer – a challenging balance that has made mediation a natural skill.

Registered as a Mediator with the Civil Mediation Council and an accredited mediator with the London School of Mediation, for whom she acts as a coach, trainer and panel member, Elizabeth also holds accreditations in Civil, Commercial, Workplace and Transformational Mediation.

Elizabeth also serves as an Adult Crime and Family Magistrate, where she manages complex cases involving family disputes and issues requiring swift, decisive judgments on the Warrant Panel. This role enhances her capacity to understand various facets of conflict and apply sound, real-time judgments.

Easily navigates high-stress & emotional circumstances

Skilled at managing high emotion and distress, Elizabeth thrives in cases where there’s a strong personal and human element. She is dedicated to helping individuals navigate difficult situations and sees her work as a chance to bring about positive change.

Currently, she provides in-house transformational mediation for The Stone Foundation, a housing charity supporting men with severe mental health issues. Her role involves helping residents navigate difficult conversations within shared housing, family dynamics and health services, all while working to prevent hospitalizations, re-incarceration or homelessness.  Elizabeth finds profound satisfaction in this work, knowing that serious mental health issues can impact anyone and demand the utmost empathy and tolerance.

Her hands-on work with individuals facing financial, emotional or health struggles has instilled a deep commitment to fostering understanding, patience, and resilience.

Elizabeth’s style combines gentle strength with a no-nonsense focus on the core issue. Her approach is to be “gentle on the people, tough on the problem,” providing a safe and compassionate environment for all parties.

Elizabeth encourages open, honest communication, using reflection and summary to ensure clarity and create an environment where participants can hear their own words objectively. She works tirelessly to foster trust and confidentiality in both joint and private sessions. Her goal is to identify a zone of possible agreement (ZOPA), helping all parties to find common ground and narrow down remaining details toward a mutually beneficial resolution.