Gloria James-Civetta

Co-founder and Head Lawyer of a women-led law firm based in Singapore. In the course of her legal career spanning close to 30yrs, she has gained considerable experience and knowledge in diverse areas of the law pertaining to Family Law, Criminal Law, Civil, Corporate & Commercial Law and Estate Law.

She has acquired skill sets in Arbitration, Mediation, Collaborative Practice, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, using litigation as the last resort. She is also Singapore’s 1^st divorce coach having obtained her accreditation from CDC® (Certified Divorce Coach – USA) 

Gloria is actively practicing as a family lawyer for both local and cross-border matters; with a mix of crime practice. She occasionally sits as a Court Appointed Mediator for family law and civil law matters in the Family Justice Courts, State Courts and Small Claims Tribunal. She also sits as a specialist mediator in the Singapore Mediation Centre, and Law Society Mediation Scheme.

Over the years, she was invited as a judge for the ICC Moot Court, Lawasia Moot and Mediation Competitions. She has also been invited to speak at several overseas conferences namely in Hanoi, Laos, London, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney and online webinars in Singapore, Melbourne and Argentina.

The firm has sponsored several events:

• Family Law Conferences in Singapore
• Singapore Law Review Lecture
• Lawasia Family Law Conferences – Laos, Penang
• Lawasia Conference – Sydney
• Criminal Law Conference in Singapore
• Family Law and Children’s Rights Conference – Cambridge
• Singapore Mediation Conference
• AFCC – Brisbane
• Pacifica Congress – Tasmania

The firm is one of the sponsors of INCADAT (operated by HCCH), the world’s only free legal database focused on international child abduction law under the 1980 Hague Convention.

Gloria is often quoted in the local newspapers and has appeared on the local and international tv news, and on local radio talk shows/podcasts.

Academic Publications – Contributor/Author

• 2^nd Edition of Law and Practice of Family Law in Singapore [2 chapters]
• LexisNexis Singapore Practical Guidance – Family Law Module
• Mondaq – Family Law Module
• Understanding Child Custody Issues in Singapore [soon to be published]

Rajan Chettiar

After having qualified as a barrister-at-law in England and admitted to the Singapore Bar in March 1997, Rajan Chettiar worked in one of the oldest and prestigious law firms in Singapore.  Having caught the entrepreneur bug and a strong desire to use his legal skills to assist individuals, he then set up the firm of Rajan Chettiar & Co in 2003 which specialises in all aspects of family and personal laws.  He is currently the Managing Director of Rajan Chettiar LLC.   

Rajan completed Masters in Counselling in 2020 and specialises in couple and family counselling.

He is a Principal Mediator of the Singapore Mediation Centre and a Court appointed volunteer mediator of the State Courts and Family Justice Courts in Singapore.  He mediates civil, criminal and family matters.  He also runs one of the first private mediation company in Singapore, Resolvers Pte Ltd which offers mediation services to assist parties to resolve their matters through mediation instead of resorting to litigation.

He is one of the first collaborative lawyers in Singapore and handled the first collaborative family law case in Singapore in early 2013.  He is appointed as a Child Representative by the Family Justice Courts to assist the Court on complex child custody and access cases. He is a trained Parent Coordinator and a Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI) Certified Mediator. He is also qualified to mediate cross border family disputes.

In 2016, he was recognised as an Outstanding Volunteer (Advocate and Solicitor category) by the State Courts in Singapore.  He has also been recognized for his contributions to the Law Society of Singapore on 2 occasions.

He was appointed as a director of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals in the United States of America and served the 2 year term since 2018.  He is the first Singaporean to serve on the Board.  He served in the Executive Committee of the IACP in 2022 and 2023. 

He is also a coach and assessor for the accreditation of mediators in the Singapore Mediation Centre.    

An active member of the Law Society of Singapore, he was a past member of the Council of the Law Society of Singapore and currently serves in its various committees.

Rajan’s life philosophy is to help and support people to make the world a better place for all.  He is an active volunteer with a keen interest in disabled, family and children cause and serves in various voluntary welfare organizations and family service centres in Singapore.

He is regularly featured in the local newspapers, radio, and television in Singapore on family related issues.

A prolific writer, he writes a monthly column in the Law Gazette, the official legal publication of the Law Society of Singapore since 2003.  His other passions are cooking, baking and travelling.

Anuradha Sharma

Ms Anuradha Sharma is a senior legal practitioner with over 34 years of experience in family law, mediation, and dispute resolution. She is a Director at Winchester Law LLC in Singapore, an accredited Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre, and MiKK-trained (Berlin) in cross-border family mediation, with experience handling complex international family disputes.

Accredited as a family mediator, collaborative lawyer, parenting coordinator, child representative, and family therapeutic justice lawyer, Ms Sharma adopts a child-centred and solutions-focused approach to dispute resolution. She is a strong advocate of mediation and collaborative processes and, as a parenting coordinator, actively promotes parental cooperation and effective co-parenting to support children’s long-term wellbeing.

Her practice covers family and matrimonial disputes, adoption proceedings, probate proceedings, mental capacity and guardianship applications, civil litigation, and property transactions. She has served continuously as a court-appointed Child Representative since 2014, representing children’s interests independently in family proceedings and ensuring their voices are properly heard.

In addition to her practice, she serves on the Probate Practice Committee, Small Law Firm Committee, and Family Justice Support Scheme Committee. She is also a committee member of the Singapore Association of Family Lawyers (SAFL).

Aye Cheng Shone

Mrs Aye Cheng Shone is a distinguished family law practitioner with over 30 years of legal experience, approaching her practice with a unique blend of legal expertise, empathy, and compassion. She specialises in helping clients navigate their most difficult and challenging situations, empowering them to redefine their lives and move forward constructively post-divorce.

As Principal Solicitor of A C Shone & Co, Mrs Shone has dedicated her practice to advancing compassionate, constructive resolution of family disputes through mediation, collaborative law, and interest-based negotiation. With 90% of her practice focused on family and matrimonial matters, she brings deep expertise in applying therapeutic jurisprudence principles to help families navigate divorce, custody disputes, and related matters with dignity and minimal trauma—particularly for children involved. She is especially experienced in managing high-conflict cases where parents are fighting for care and control of their children, as well as high-conflict financial disputes in family matters.

Despina Konstantinidou

Despina Konstantinidou is an accredited mediator, mental health counselor, legal professional and mediation trainer based in Thessaloniki, Greece. Her practice focuses primarily on family mediation with a strong emphasis on child-inclusive approaches, as well as on civil mediation. With a background in litigation, Despina has devoted the past nine years exclusively to mediation and counseling practice.

Her work centers on supporting families navigating complex relational, emotional, and legal dynamics, particularly in contexts involving children, vulnerability, disability, chronic illness, and cultural diversity. Despina strongly believes that effective family mediation requires not only legal knowledge, but also psychological insight, ethical sensitivity, and an understanding of the broader social and cultural context shaping family conflict.

Despina’s professional approach is interdisciplinary and holistic, drawing equally from legal practice and contemporary counseling psychology. Her mediation work is grounded in high ethical standards, scientific rigor, and a deep commitment to inclusion, cultural competence, and human dignity. She is a MiKK trained CBFM mediator and member of MiKK,  International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction (MiKK e.V.)

Alongside her mediation practice, Despina designs and delivers advanced professional training programmes for mediators, in collaboration with recognized institutes and leading international trainers. Her training work focuses on cultural awareness in mediation, child rights, unconscious bias, disability and neurodiversity, chronic illness, social vulnerability, and gender inclusion, encouraging reflective and diversity-aware practice.

She is the co-creator of the All Voices Mediation Network, together with Fedoua Ait-Baha. This transnational initiative is dedicated to training mediators in inclusive and diversity-aware mediation practices, supporting professionals in developing greater awareness of power dynamics, cultural context, and underrepresented perspectives within mediation processes.

In addition, Despina and Fedoua collaborate with Lisa Parkinson in delivering specialized Child-Inclusive Mediation training for mediators working with families and children.

Despina holds a Law degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Master’s degree in Art Law & Arts Management from the International Hellenic University, and is currently completing her M.Sc. in Counseling Psychology (Counseling in Special Education, School and Health Settings) at the University of Thessaly.

For more information:
www.connectingworlds.gr
www.allvoicesnetwork.com (under construction)

Fedoua Ait-Baha

Fedoua Ait-Baha (LL.M.) is an accredited and practicing cross-border and child-inclusive family mediator based in Ghent, Belgium.

Her mediation practice focuses on supporting parents with intercultural and cross-border dynamics. Fedoua strongly believes that mediating parental dynamics requires a distinct set of skills and sensitivities, particularly when cultural backgrounds, migration experiences, or differing value systems are present. Supporting parents in building sustainable and respectful co-parenting relationships, in her view, has a profound and lasting impact on children’s well-being.

Her work is grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience, enabling her to approach mediation with sensitivity to the cultural, social, and structural differences that shape conflict, communication, and decision-making.

Fedoua is a MiKK CBFM trained mediator and is MiKK Ambassador for Belgium and Morocca. She is the co-creator of the All Voices Mediation Network, together with Despina Konstantinidou. This transnational initiative is dedicated to training mediators in diversity-aware and inclusive mediation practices. Through this work, they support professionals in developing greater awareness of power dynamics, cultural context, and underrepresented perspectives within mediation processes.

In addition, Despina and Fedoua collaborate with Lisa Parkinson in delivering specialized Child-Inclusive Mediation training for mediators working with families and children.

Fedoua is also actively involved in strengthening and expanding cross-border mediation practices in Morocco, having been nominated MiKK Ambassador for Morocco in 2023. Alongside her private practice, Fedoua serves as a volunteer mediator for the City of Ghent.

She studied law at the VU University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and completed an advanced postgraduate mediation program at KU Leuven in Belgium. Fedoua remains closely connected to KU Leuven, where she continues to contribute to the organization of its mediation program, reflecting her commitment to education.

For more information:
www.familymediations.be
www.allvoicesnetwork.com (under construction)

Michael Lang

Michael Lang has spent more than 45 years immersed in mediation—as a practitioner, educator, author, and champion of the field. He is widely recognized as one of the voices who helped shape mediation into a distinct and respected profession

Michael’s work ranges from helping divorcing couples and families navigate painful transitions to supporting owners of family businesses as they work through difficult conversations about money, legacy, and relationships. He also mediates conflicts in workplaces of all kinds, including businesses, government agencies, universities, and nonprofits​

Teaching and mentoring have always been central to his career. He has designed and led a wide variety of basic and advanced trainings in mediation and conflict management for courts, organizations, and university programs across the United States and around the world.

In 1992, Michael created one of the first graduate programs in conflict resolution in the United States at Antioch University, later taking on a similar role at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. He has also taught as visiting faculty at several graduate and law schools, working closely with students and practitioners to deepen their skills.

As a leader in the field, Michael has served on boards and in officer roles for numerous local, regional, state, and national conflict resolution organizations. His colleagues often turn to him for his long view of how the field has grown and where it is heading.

Michael has also contributed significantly as an author and editor. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Mediation Quarterly(now Conflict Resolution Quarterly) from 1995 to 2001 and was on its editorial board from 1988 to 2007, and he later served as Special Advisor and editorial board member for the Irish Journal of Mediation and Applied Conflict Analysis. He co-authored The Making of a Mediator: Developing Artistry in Practice and wrote The Guide to Reflective Practice in Conflict Resolution, released in 2019 with a Second Edition published in 2024.

Together with Susanne Terry, Michael co-founded and co-directs The Reflective Practice Institute International. Through 14 group leaders, the Institute hosts 12 ongoing monthly reflective practice groups with more than 120 mediators from nine countries, creating a global learning community devoted to thoughtful, reflective work.​

Michael’s contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the John Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award from ACR in 2012 and the Outstanding Professional Family Mediator award from the Academy of Professional Family Mediators in 2020.