Karen Sutherland is Lead of the Family Law Department and Of Counsel at Ibrahim Alserkal Advocates and Legal Consultants in Dubai. Karen is an accredited Family Mediator with the Law Society of Scotland and Scottish Mediation, and a Civil and Commercial Mediator on the DIFC Courts' Panel of Mediators (Registration No. 160C). She is admitted as a solicitor by the Law Society of Scotland, and accredited as a Trauma-Informed Lawyer. Karen began her legal career in Scotland in child protection where she worked for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration. She subsequently practised as a family lawyer with Brodies, and later Gibson Kerr in Edinburgh, before founding Mediation First in Dubai. Her practice is client focused and pragmatic, helping people resolve disputes efficently and cost-effectively while avoiding unnecessary litigation. Karen studied law at the University of Edinburgh, where she later tutored in family law.