About Mary
Mary Higgins
In 2017 I left the Bar to become a full-time mediator and conflict coach. In my 33 years of practice at the Bar, I acted in complex, high value, high profile cases and appeared before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. It was a rewarding career, but latterly I found that I enjoyed acting a mediator and a mentor to junior colleagues much more than being a barrister.
As a mediator I enjoy building a good rapport with the parties and finding the right questions to ask that will allow them to see things in a different way, shift their perspective and allow them to pivot towards a resolution. I encourage the parties to explore all solutions sensitively and creatively and in a way that will reach a fair and satisfactory outcome for all concerned.
As a conflict coach, I help young people and adults who are in disempowering situations or who have difficulty standing up for themselves or who experience anxiety in situations of conflict to exercise their personal power more effectively and to communicate with greater calm, confidence and clarity in their words and body language.
People who experience problems with anxiety, fear or anger when dealing with conflict can benefit from techniques such as Heartmath, mindfulness, breathing exercises and EFT. I can teach conflict coaching clients these techniques.
I am a member of the Mediators Institute for Ireland and is subject to their Code of Conduct and to the European Code of Conduct for Mediators.