About Me
I started working as a lawyer in 1997. I have spent over 25 years dealing with all types of legal cases, including a lot of disputes between separating couple over time with their children and division of their assets. I have seen some great outcomes where disputes are resolved quickly and everyone gets to move on with their lives. I have also seen some terrible cases where proceedings in the Family Court dragged on for years and the only thing that was worse than the emotional cost for the parents who were fighting was the stress and uncertainty for their children.
I decided to become an accredited mediator in 2016 because all the years I had spent working as a lawyer convinced me that the best thing I could do with my career was to spend it helping people resolve their conflicts without going through the Court system.
Welcome to Bluebird Family Mediation
I understand that separation is stressful and tough and it can feel like you are stuck in a cycle of conflict and blame. I am passionate about helping couples to find a path through the conflict and towards a new path and a fresh start for you and your family.
Bluebirds fly south for the winter. When you see a bluebird for the first time in months, you know that spring has arrived. This is probably why many cultures around the world see the bluebird as a symbol of hope and happiness, and a fresh start after a dark and difficult time in your life. That’s why I chose “Bluebird” as the name for my family mediation practice.
Going through a separation is hard for everyone involved. It is a huge change in your life and it can have all sorts of negative impacts for you and for your children. People often feel like it is hard to move forward after separation, and it’s easy to feel stuck in an endless cycle of blame and conflict.
Family dispute resolution is a process that is designed to help you to find a pathway forward. It won’t solve everything in one day, but after working with family law clients for over 20 years, I can promise that moving out of a state of conflict, and feeling a sense of ownership over the agreement that you have reached, will make it a lot easier move into the next phase of your life and find happiness. It will make life easier for you, and your children too.
Taking a case through the family law system is expensive and horribly stressful for everyone involved. It can take months or even years to finalise the dispute and throughout that time you and your children have to live in a state of uncertainty.
Disputes about children usually cause ongoing damage to your relationship with your former partner, which makes it even harder to co-parent your children in the future, all while spending thousands of dollars on lawyers’ fees.
When the dispute is about property, every day that you spend in dispute means more goes to your lawyers, leaving less money to divide between you and your former partner.
There are costs for engaging in the family dispute resolution process, but those costs are a fraction of the likely costs of a Court case and a successful dispute resolution process will mean that your life can start getting easier as soon as possible.