Book excerpt: Over the past forty years, the approach to legal disputes in England and Wales has experienced some important changes. In many instances, mediation, with its objective of resolving disputes, is favoured over the traditional and adversarial procedure of litigation. Intriguingly, the perspectives of mediators on the practice of family mediation are relatively unexplored territory. This book with its focus on family mediation seeks to reduce this gap by supplementing the existing literature. It will put forward the family mediators’ opinions and my recommendations on how family mediation can be improved from the perspective of models. It aims to contribute, through the practitioners’ lens, to some of the important theoretical issues, discussions and difficulties surrounding family mediation. In addition, the aim of this book is to set out the understanding of family mediators and draw on this to explore important themes such as mediation models, their principles and the nature of the task. The analysis of these themes will reveal many things, from the difficulties and demanding tasks in family mediation, to the satisfaction and reward that can be felt by family mediators who achieve the parties’ objective of amicably resolving a family dispute. CONTENTS: FOREWORD CHAPTER 1. An Introduction To Criminal Law CHAPTER II Actus Reus: The Criminal Act CHAPTER III Mens Rea I – The Mental Element CHAPTER IV Mens Rea II – Defences CHAPTER V Secondary Liability, Conspiracy and Attempt CHAPTER VI Homicide CHAPTER VII Offences Against the Person CHAPTER VIII Sexual Offences CHAPTER IX Theft and Dishonesty Offence CHAPTER X Drugs, Firearms and Offensive Weapons SUMMARY: SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS