Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution

Mediation (also called Family Dispute Resolution) is a method for resolving all types of family issues without going to court. Decisions are made by you and your spouse or partner together with the help of a trained mediator, or Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP).

The goal is to reach an agreement tailored to your particular circumstances, efficiently and cost-effectively.

While you control the process of resolving your dispute, an important role of the mediator is to keep the parties on task for accomplishing their goal of reaching agreements and to assist them in assessing the practicality and fairness of their proposed resolutions.

​The Family Law Act requires that generally speaking, parties will be required to at least attempt mediation before the Court will hear an application for Parenting Orders.

We work with many experienced Family Law mediators and we can guide and support you through this process.

Mediation can usually be arranged within a few weeks and is a very cost effective way of resolving disputes when compared to the costs of litigation.

Is it legally binding?

If you are successful in reaching an agreement through mediation, we will prepare the formal written Agreement or draft Court Order setting out the specific terms of that agreement or we can prepare a document summarizing the agreed-upon terms, signed off by both parties and then draft the formal agreement or Order at a later time.

Court orders agreed at mediation and filed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court are just as enforceable as Orders made by a Judge in a contested hearing.

Parenting Plans made at mediation, whilst not Court orders, are also capable of being registered in the Court, and in any event provide the best evidence of what was agreed if the matter does proceed to a Court in the future, which can be very persuasive.