We are so proud to announce that Macarthur Mediations is officially open for business! Read all about this new venture for CMC in our latest article from The District Reporter. Call us on 0476 MEDIATE if you think one of our experienced Mediators can help you.
Have you heard of Family Dispute Resolution (FDR)? What about mediation?
FDR is really mediation by another name – and is a term used specifically in the family law world. It’s something that all divorce lawyers should be familiar with as it has been a compulsory step, with some exceptions, before court action can be commenced in all family law parenting matters since 2004, and only a qualified and registered family dispute resolution practitioner can certify that this step has been completed.
To avoid the uncertainty and expense of court, many people agree to an outcome that they aren’t really happy with or that isn’t fair – simply because they are in an unequal bargaining position. This can be due to lack of knowledge, feelings of guilt, feelings of fear or a desire to avoid conflict at all costs. Mediation is more structured and controlled than an informal meeting between spouses. It helps to “level the playing field” and allows the parties to control their own outcomes. The option of mediation is of particular benefit given the current court environment where the system does get racked by years of delays, high expenses and unhappy court imposed outcomes.
At Caldwell Martin Cox (CMC) we have always been passionate about helping people achieve the best outcomes and we are very pleased to announce the opening of our new business – Macarthur Mediations – to complement the legal services provided by CMC. We have two dedicated mediators available in our Camden and Narellan offices and family law matters may be scheduled at a time that suits you and helps to give the best chance of reaching an outcome and positive manner. Having a background in law is invaluable but mediators must be impartial and independent so they can’t and don’t take sides and will work hard to help people achieve their own agreement that bests suits their children, their family routines and their work circumstances.
Participants in mediations can represent themselves or can attend with the assistance of a solicitor. Macarthur Mediations can offer the use of mediation rooms at no additional charge in Narellan, Camden and Picton or we can travel to your area for a small fee.
The first step in the process is a phone call to our friendly receptionist! We’ll do a conflict check to ensure there is no reason we cannot get involved and then give you all kinds of useful information about the process and the rate and scale of fees. If you want to go ahead, we’ll write to those involved to see if they will agree. A mediation can be arranged to take place in as little as three weeks.
A really important aspect is that everything that takes place within the mediation (subject to some small exclusions) is confidential and cannot be used later by either side if the matter ends up in court.
So, at the start of the mediation, all attendees sign confidentiality agreements. This is important as it allows both sides the freedom to explore suggestions and concessions during the mediation to try to work out a settlement.
Call us at CMC MEDIATE if we can help you and your former partner resolve a property settlement or to help you agree on workable arrangements for your children into the future. Our business is so new that we don’t yet have a website but it will be up and running soon.
