John O’Sullivan conducts gender balanced mediations with Yvette Strawbridge. John has been practising as a family lawyer for 30 years and for many years has thought that his clients are best off resolving their disputes as soon as possible. He has been working in collaborative law for the last decade and trained through the College of Law as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Mediator.

Yvette Strawbridge is a diversely qualified and experienced Health Professional, Clinical Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Credentialed Mental Health Practitioner with a diverse range of skills and areas of expertise. Yvette has been practicing as a Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Child Inclusive Mediation Practitioner for over 12 years.

John & Yvette offer gender balanced mediation giving their clients the benefit of having a mediator of each gender as well as both legal and counselling background.

Should a S60I Certificate be required to enable parent’s access to the Family Court, then we can provide that certificate.

Collaborative law is an alternative dispute resolution process and therefore aims to avoid litigation. The parties create a written agreement that sets out the rules of the process, the most important and indispensable rule being that if the parties choose to commence court proceedings, the parties’ lawyers are disqualified from representing them. Collaborative law takes a holistic approach by involving professionals such as accountants and mental health professionals who work cooperatively with the parties to reach settlement. The parties have face-to-face meetings in which information is shared and solutions are discussed.

This process is not for everyone. The success of the process depends on the good faith, openness and willingness of the parties to communicate directly with one another. The parties must be able to actively participate and able to identify the individual interests of the other party. Additionally, if the parties choose to proceed to court they will need to retain new lawyers. However, if collaborative law is an option open to the parties, there are many advantages. Parties are being assisted by professionals who are trained to identify their interests and negotiate to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Collaborative lawyers are also committed to reaching a resolution as they have no incentive to prolong proceedings or exacerbate the conflict. The process is often less stressful and emotional than court proceedings, and can therefore lead to a more amicable separation, which is an especially positive outcome when children are involved. Collaborative law is flexible and leaves the parties with a high level of control.
If you are interested in learning more about collaborative law and whether it could work for you, contact O’Sullivan Law at 6389 0305.0