FAQs

You can attend mediation with or without lawyers.  If you choose to attend mediation without a lawyer, we suggest that you obtain legal advice prior to attending your mediation.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the law provides that you must attempt to resolve your family law dispute (parenting and/or property) by mediation before applying to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

Mediation allows you both to control the outcome.

We offer mediation in person in the Lifestyle Building located at 117 Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale. Our facilities include 6 high-tech meeting rooms, common break out areas, WIFI internet access throughout the building and an onsite café. Mediation can occur in the same room or separate rooms if required.

We also offer mediation online via Zoom and Microsoft Teams Meeting – all you need is a laptop or a smart phone and a private space.  We work with clients located on The Northern Beaches, Lower North Shore, Upper North Shore, The Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Western Sydney, Greater Western Sydney, Southern Sydney, Sutherland Shire, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Mid North Coast, the South Coast and all other Rural areas. We also offer mediation to Interstate clients throughout Australia. For further details regarding mediation online click here.

Mediation moves at the pace that you need. The mediators at Northern Beaches and North Shore Family Law Mediation are committed to providing an appointment within seven days of your initial contact. Resolving outstanding parenting and property matters is essential, and we appreciate the desire to start the process as soon as possible.

After initiating family mediation, we will contact the other party twice via email and phone and provide them 14 days to respond from the date of first contact, inviting them to attend an intake and assessment interview. If the other party does not respond within fourteen days to that letter, email or telephone call, Northern Beaches and North Shore Family Law Mediation will make another attempt.

​If there is still no response from them after an additional seven days from the second contact, you can request a section 60i certificate from your mediator stating that mediation did not occur because the other party did not attend/respond.

If the other party does respond, we will offer them an appointment with our family mediator within seven days. Northern Beaches and North Shore Family Law Mediation tries to ensure minimal delay in the process. Hence, if you or the other party continues to decline available times or cancels appointments without a valid reason, you may request a “did not attend” section 60i certificate for mediation services.​

If the other party attends an intake and assessment interview and the mediator deems it appropriate to proceed to mediation, Northern Beaches and North Shore Family Law Mediation will offer a mediation time within the next fourteen days, subject to availability.

​Depending on the level of commitment by the parties, the process can take around a month. As advised, if there are unreasonable delays in attempting family mediation, and it is considered appropriate to proceed, Northern Beaches and North Shore Family Law Mediation may issue a section 60i certificate.

There is two-hour free car parking under the Lifestyle Building, entry via Old Pittwater Road. Once you have parked your car, there is lift and stair access to our office located on the ground floor.