Separating couples often face difficult decisions about dividing finances and property. Our Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) service offers a structured, facilitated conversation focused on reaching a fair and equitable outcome for both parties.

With the support of an independent, accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, you'll work through the issues unique to your financial circumstances in a safe, respectful, and confidential environment.

Our process can help you:

• Identify and discuss assets, liabilities, and financial resources (disclosure & balance sheet steps)

• Identify and discuss fair and equitable considerations (before, during, and future-needs factors)

• Explore options for dividing property, superannuation, and other interests

• Reach a tailored property Heads of Agreement that reflects your circumstances

• Avoid the cost, delay, and stress of litigation

If your matter does need to go before the court, most property applications first require genuine attempts at dispute resolution. We can provide the relevant documentation confirming this process so you can move forward with your options as needed.

Every situation is different. We tailor each session to your circumstances, ensuring discussions remain balanced, solution-focused, and constructive.

Parenting Plans

A Parenting Plan can set out the day-to-day workings of your co-parenting arrangement — living arrangements, time with each parent, holidays and special occasions, communication, and how you'll make decisions about your children's health, education, and wellbeing. It's a written record of what you've agreed, in plain language, tailored to your family.

While a Parenting Plan isn't legally enforceable in the same way as a court order, the Family Court will consider it as evidence of your intentions, and it can be formalised into Consent Orders if you choose. Most importantly, it gives your family a clear, shared reference point that helps prevent misunderstandings and reduce future conflict.

If agreement is reached during your mediation, your FDRP will draft the Parenting Plan on your behalf, ensuring it accurately reflects the terms you've negotiated.

Heads of Agreement (Property)

For property matters, a Heads of Agreement captures the key terms you've reached during mediation — how assets, liabilities, and superannuation will be divided, timeframes for transfers or payments, and any other conditions specific to your settlement.

It serves as the foundation for the next step: having your agreement drafted into a binding Financial Agreement or Consent Orders by a legal practitioner.

If agreement is reached during your mediation, your FDRP will draft the Heads of Agreement on your behalf, capturing the negotiated terms clearly and accurately so they can be progressed to formal legal documentation.

Under the Family Law Act, parties are required to make a genuine attempt at Family Dispute Resolution before applying to the court for parenting orders. A Section 60I Certificate is the document confirming whether this requirement has been met and must generally accompany any application for parenting orders made to the court.

Your FDRP will issue the type of certificate reflecting the outcome of your matter — it does not disclose the content of your discussions, in line with the confidentiality protections under the Family Law Act.

Where a certificate indicates that a party did not make a genuine effort to resolve the dispute, the court may take this into account, including when considering orders for legal costs. Some matters may be exempt from this requirement.

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