“Alison Bull is a standout family lawyer and mediator whose exceptional conflict-resolution expertise helps families navigate complex disputes with clarity, dignity and strategic insight. Her rare combination of technical excellence, emotional intelligence and constructive problem-solving makes her one of England’s most trusted voices in modern family dispute resolution.”

Fantastic Lawyers® Editorial 2026

Alison Bull is one of England’s leading family mediators and family lawyers, widely recognised for helping individuals, couples and families resolve complex relationship disputes with clarity, compassion and minimal conflict.

A highly experienced partner at Mills & Reeve, Alison is particularly known for helping clients avoid court wherever possible through mediation, arbitration, collaborative law and other constructive dispute resolution methods, while remaining a formidable litigator when court action is necessary.

What Alison Bull does

Alison advises clients across a broad spectrum of family law matters, with particular expertise in:

• Divorce and separation
• Family mediation and MIAMs
• Child arrangements and parenting plans
• Family arbitration (financial and children matters)
• International family law disputes
• International child abduction mediation
• Financial settlements involving businesses, trusts, pensions and international assets
• Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
• Collaborative family law
• One lawyer / joint resolution models for separating couples
• Unmarried couple disputes

She also works directly with children in mediation, helping ensure younger voices are heard in sensitive family decisions.

Why Alison stands out

Alison is known for her rare ability to combine technical legal excellence with emotional intelligence, strategic judgement and exceptional conflict-resolution skills.

She focuses firmly on the bigger picture, helping families find practical, dignified solutions that prioritise children’s wellbeing and avoid unnecessary emotional or financial damage.

Her calm authority makes her particularly effective in highly conflictual and complex cases, including those involving high-profile individuals, international disputes and substantial financial assets.

Clients and peers consistently describe her as reassuring, technically brilliant and highly effective at diffusing difficult situations.

Trust markers and recognition

• Partner at Mills & Reeve
• Leading Legal 500 recommended family lawyer and mediator
• Highly ranked by Chambers & Partners for family law and mediation
• Family mediator
• Financial arbitrator
• Children arbitrator
• Qualified to meet with children in mediation
• Qualified mediator supervisor
• Resolution National Committee member
• Former Chair of Resolution’s national Standards Committee
• Board member of the Family Mediation Council
• Partner responsible for wellbeing at Mills & Reeve
• Listed as a Leading Lawyer by WiseLaw

Notable experience

Alison has helped resolve highly complex international financial disputes through private mediation, achieving outcomes in days rather than years of litigation.

She has also worked directly with separating parents and their children to build practical parenting arrangements in emotionally challenging situations where communication had broken down completely.

Approach

Alison’s style is calm, intelligent and solutions-focused. She helps clients choose the right path for their circumstances, whether that means mediation, arbitration, collaboration, solicitor negotiation or court.

For individuals and families seeking thoughtful, strategic and highly effective family law support in Manchester and beyond, Alison Bull offers exceptional experience and trusted leadership.