focusing on solution-driven mediation
1300 635 529
focusing on solution-driven mediation
Mediation and Dispute Resolution
What is this about?
Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) and Mediation Family Law allows parties to self-determine parenting plans, spousal maintenance, child support and financial and property settlements – fairly and with respect for each other.
Vanessa Mathews is a nationally accredited FDR Practitioner and Mediator, and trained Parenting Coordinator. She assists families -at all stages of proceedings – to discuss issues in dispute and consider different options, with a focus on their children’s needs.
Vanessa is authorized to issue certificates pursuant to section 60I of the Family Law Act 1975.
How We Can Help
Vanessa will assist you to resolve parenting and property disputes without resorting to court proceedings. If you are part way through proceedings and wish to attempt an early resolution, or are ordered by the court to attend a dispute resolution lawyer, Vanessa can also facilitate this.
Family Mediation and Dispute Resolution Lawyer can be conducted either in-person or online to provide a safe and comfortable setting for all parties. Different options are available for the sessions, such as a joint in-person session, or a shuttle mode with parties in separate rooms, or wholly online. Parties may be supported by the attendance of their lawyers at FDR and mediation (or availability by telephone).
Obtaining legal advice prior to family mediation and FDR is highly recommended.
By focusing on professional and supportive mediation and FDR, we assist you in self-determine co-parenting and/or financial settlement arrangements.
First Steps
If you are seeking early advice about your options or looking to begin a particular process, book a free initial consultation by calling us or filling in our online form.
We’re happy to arrange whichever time and means (in person, telephone, or online) suits you best for this consultation.
Mathews Family Law Services
Mathews Family Law Services
Financial and Parenting Mediation (FDR)
Family Dispute Resolution
- Best interests of the child considerations
- Same sex parenting
- Parental responsibility
- Change of circumstance application
- Parenting Plans
- Parenting Plans
- Co-parenting
- Relocation
- Living and spending time
arrangements - International parenting issues
- Varying parenting court orders
- Rights of grandparents and others
- Referral to FDR during current
court proceedings
Property and Financial Mediation
- Division of assets, liabilities and superannuation
- High net income and high asset settlement
- Spousal maintenance
- Binding Financial Agreements – negotiating, enforcing and challenging agreements
- Child support, child maintenance,
and adult child maintenance
We’re happy to arrange whichever time and means (in person, telephone, or online) suits you best for this consultation.
and Mediation allows parties to self-determine parenting plans, spousal maintenance, child support and financial and property settlements – fairly and with respect for each other.
Vanessa Mathews is a nationally accredited FDR Practitioner and Mediator, and trained Parenting Coordinator. She assists families – at all stages of proceedings – to discuss issues in dispute and consider different options, with a focus on their children’s needs.
Vanessa is authorised to issue certificates pursuant to section 60I of the Family Law Act 1975.
Mediation and Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) can be conducted either in-person or online to provide a safe and comfortable setting for all parties. Different options
are available for the sessions, such as a joint in-person session, or a shuttle mode with parties in separate rooms, or wholly online. Parties may be supported by the attendance of their lawyers at FDR and mediation (or availability by telephone). Obtaining legal advice prior to mediation and FDR is highly recommended.
By focusing on professional and supportive mediation and FDR, we assist you to self-determine co-parenting and/or financial settlement arrangements.
Family Law
Services
Family Dispute Resolution
- Division of assets, liabilities and superannuation
- High net income and high asset settlement
- Spousal maintenance
- Living and spending time arrangements
- International parenting issues
- Varying parenting court orders
- Rights of grandparents and others
- Referral to FDR during current
court proceedings
- Binding Financial Agreements – negotiating, enforcing and challenging agreements
- Child support, child maintenance, and adult child maintenance
- Best interests of the child considerations
- Same sex parenting
- Parental responsibility Employee
- entitlements
- Relocation
- Parenting Plans
- Co-parenting
- Change of circumstance
application
We’re happy to arrange whichever time and means (in person, telephone, or online) suits you best for this consultation.
With over 60 years’ combined experience, we understand the importance of giving you options to achieve your parenting goals in a timely manner, while putting your children's best interests first.
Alternatively, we can guide you through Family Dispute Resolution (mediation) to negotiate an agreed outcome, without having to go to court. In the event agreements cannot be reached, our experienced litigators will advocate for you and your children in court. Our Parenting Coordination service provides ongoing support with the implementation of complex court orders.
- Division of assets, liabilities
and superannuation
- High net income and high
asset settlement
- Spousal maintenance
Family Law
Services
and Mediation allows parties to
self-determine parenting plans,
spousal maintenance, child support
and financial and property
settlements – fairly and with respect
for each other.
certificates pursuant to section 60I
of the Family Law Act 1975.
Obtaining legal advice prior to mediation and FDR is highly recommended.
telephone, or online) suits you best for this consultation.
and knowing where you stand can
minimise stress as well as costs.
- Living and spending time
arrangements
- International parenting issues
- Varying parenting court orders
- Rights of grandparents and others
- Referral to FDR during current
court proceedings
- Best interests of the child
considerations
- Same sex parenting
- Parental responsibility
- Relocation
- Parenting Plans
- Co-parenting
- Change of circumstance
application
- Binding Financial Agreements
– negotiating, enforcing and
challenging agreements
- Child support, child maintenance,
and adult child maintenance
self-determine co-parenting and/or financial settlement arrangements.
What is Family Dispute Resolution?
Many couples facing the end of their marriage feel confused about how to resolve the many issues that come up. Well-meaning friends and relatives might recommend running to an aggressive lawyer who can help you battle it out in court, but I want to use this video to tell you about different ways of solving your problems that can help everyone to feel that they were treated fairly and with respect.
You and your former partner have the ability to choose how you will go about reaching an agreement. Despite what you may have heard from sensational articles in the media or even through friends, most family disagreements in Australia end with a settlement. This means that most people do not go to court to work out child custody issues, property division, or maintenance. They sit down together, sometimes with the help of professionals, and work through the problem.
Mediation is an alternative approach to resolving disagreements. In Australia, it’s frequently used for figuring out property and financial issues, and it’s also used for parenting disputes. Rather than going to court and have a judge determine how best to solve your problems, mediation allows you to control the process and the outcome.
So how does mediation family law work? A third party neutral and objective person serves as a mediator whose role is to facilitate communication between you and your former partner to help you reach an agreement that you’re both comfortable with. The mediator helps you figure out what your interests are, what your actual needs are, and what is fair to everyone.
Mediation and FDR can occur prior to commencing court proceedings and during court proceedings.
This is a schedule for the children for school vacations, national and religious holidays and day-to-day living. In the ideal, it looks towards the future, so schedules can be created on a yearly basis, with holidays and visitation days switching each year (ie Mom has the children for Christmas in odd years and Dad has them for summer holidays in even years).
www.interventionordersmelbourne.com.au
A Family Violence Intervention Order grants the affected family member experiencing family violence immediate short-term and long-term protection.
We explain what this means and what your options and rights.
For a simple fast and cost effective divorce with minimal fuss we offer a fixed fee standard online divorce application. The fee includes an application for divorce, court filing fees and disbursements.
Unbundling breaks up the family lawyer’s role into a number of agreed limited legal services. This empowers the client to select only those legal services that they require and can limit the lawyer’s involvement to a single issue, court or mediation process including:
- Advice only
- Research only
- Drafting letters or court documents
- Reviewing client prepared letters and court documents
- Negotiation coaching in preparation for mediation or settlement meeting
- Negotiating on behalf of the client
- Attendance at mediation or court appearance on behalf of the client
- Drafting settlement agreements
- Providing independent legal advice for financial agreements
- This is supported by a written ‘unbundled limited scope engagement /
agreement’ (costs agreement) and fixed fees by agreement.
Family law advice is expensive. To assist you, Mathews Family Law offers a free initial telephone consultation:
Fixed Fee Services
| Intervention Order | $1,950 + GST |
|---|---|
| Online Application for Divorce | $990 + GST (+disbursements) |
| Family Dispute Resolution and Property Mediation | |
| Intake Meeting (per hour) | $500 + GST |
| Joint Session (up to 3.5 hours) | $1,750 + GST |
| Unbundled Legal and Mediation Service (per hour) | $385 + GST |
Your initial conference with us is important. It warrants the attention of an accredited family law specialist who will apply their knowledge of the law to the special circumstances of your matter. For this reason we do not offer a ‘free half hour’ service
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Level 2, 599 Malvern Road
Toorak, Vic 3142
Call Us
1300 635 529
Level 2, 599 Malvern Road Toorak, Vic 3142
© Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists. All rights reserved.
Expert family law advice you can trust to look out for your future
© Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists. All rights reserved.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legisiation.
© Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists. All rights reserved.
AFFILIATES
Vanessa Mathews
Managing Director FDRP and Mediator
BCOMM BSW LLB
Accredited Family Law Specialist, FDRP,
Mediator and Parenting Coordinator
Vanessa Mathews is the founder and managing director of Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists, and has the rare combination of social work qualifications and experience, combined with nearly 20 years’ experience as a lawyer and mediator; it makes her approach to resolving legal relationship issues both sensible and sensitive.
She is a fully accredited family law specialist, mediator, family dispute resolution practitioner and parenting coordinator with a commerce degree – adding a financially astute aspect to her practice.
Vanessa has extensive experience in complex issues that arise from relationship breakdown, and works in partnership with her clients,
who regularly describe her as empathetic
Vanessa is an active member of the family law profession and
a member of the:
- Law Institute of Victoria, Family Law Section
- Law Council of Australia, Family Law Section
- Resolution Institute
- Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators
- National Mediation Accreditation System
- Relationships Australia Family Lawyers Panel
- Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers
- Relationships Australia / Federal Circuit Court ‘Access Resolve’ Mediation Service
- Relationships Australia ‘Property Mediation’ Service
Vanessa and Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists
are regularly recognised as a ‘Leading Victorian Family
Lawyer’, ‘Recommended Family Law Mediator’ and a
‘Leading Victorian Family Law Firm’ by Doyle’s Guide to
the Australian Legal Profession.
Get Started With Vanessa
Book A Free Consult
Vanessa Mathews
Managing Director FDRP and Mediator
BCOMM BSW LLB
Accredited Family Law Specialist, FDRP,
Mediator and Parenting Coordinator
Vanessa Mathews is the founder and managing director of Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists, and has the rare combination of social work qualifications and experience, combined with nearly 20 years’ experience as a lawyer and mediator; it makes her approach to resolving legal relationship issues both sensible and sensitive.
She is a fully accredited family law specialist, mediator, family dispute resolution practitioner and parenting coordinator with a commerce degree – adding a financially astute aspect to her practice.
Vanessa has extensive experience in complex issues that arise from relationship breakdown, and works in partnership with her clients,
who regularly describe her as empathetic
Vanessa is an active member of the family law profession and
a member of the:
- Law Institute of Victoria, Family Law Section
- Law Council of Australia, Family Law Section
- Resolution Institute
- Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators
- National Mediation Accreditation System
- Relationships Australia Family Lawyers Panel
- Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers
- Relationships Australia / Federal Circuit Court ‘Access Resolve’ Mediation Service
- Relationships Australia ‘Property Mediation’ Service
Vanessa and Mathews Family Law & Mediation Specialists
are regularly recognised as a ‘Leading Victorian Family
Lawyer’, ‘Recommended Family Law Mediator’ and a
‘Leading Victorian Family Law Firm’ by Doyle’s Guide to
the Australian Legal Profession.
Get Started With Vanessa